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Technology View - by Arun On Technology

Robot that can adopt

Due Credit: Journal Science, Cornell University, AP Photos
Apparently the whole gadget and tech world is so busy with PS3 riot debut in North America that they forgot Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., built a four-legged robot that can sense damage to its body and figure out how to adjust and keep going. This remarkable development was published on Friday issue of Journal Science.

Science has came across far beyond imagination in last few decades, but still Robotics
StarFish Robot
StarFish Robot
remain a mystery and limited application within industrial plants. Probably the biggest reason is scientist were too busy to give robots human looks, rather then attitude/habit. In general what we do when we hurt our legs/hand, we adjust with the environment, we start limping. Human quality/habit to adopt has been always a mystery to science. We have built robot that walk like human, we have sent robots in outer space too but one thing always lacking is we couldn't give them ability to adopt in different environment, unexpected situation.


Most robots are used in industrial applications or lab environment where their environment never changes . If they are to become useful outdoors or at home they need to be able to cope with changes. The ability to compensate can be vital in new or dangerous situations where unexpected damage or injury can occur. This new robot has tilt sensors and angle sensors in each of its joints and uses the readings from these devices to create a computer model of its own structure and movement. When the sensors indicate a change, it can then alter the model to compensate. While most robots operate using a computer model they have been programmed with, this one develops its own model by analyzing how its parts respond to commands to move.That allows it to change its own program if something occurs that it didn't expect. If you have heard the terms AI (Artificial Intelligence), this robot using a perfect implementation of knowledge base artificial intelligence adoption, where intelligence came from experiance rather then some preprogrammed data.

Limping Robot
Limping Robot, picture by Cornell University

Hord Lipson the co-author of "Journal Science" said:
the robot could have one of its motors jam as it is moving around. It's self-model might predict forward movement when that motor is started, and if that doesn't happen it could adjust its self-image to the new situation.

During the test the researchers shortened one of the robot's legs and it responded by changing its gait. How effective!

There has been no official name to this four lagged robot, but the research scientists adorably call it "Starfish Robot". The researchers are now working to find other applications for the technology and to make it more complex.

The work was done in the Cornell Computational Synthesis Lab under Assistant Professor Hod Lipson, right, with Josh Bongard, a former Cornell postdoctoral researcher, center, and Cornell graduate student Viktor Zykov, and is published in the latest issue of Science.
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Comments
6 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]
1. November 19th 2006 @ 21:10. katyzzz Says:
Kams,

Very interesting indeed. How long before man becomes the second most important being on Earth.

Do come over and have a look at my youTube, I think you'll like it. Nothing like a little light relief.

C u soon,

katyzzz .........at ms paint art
2. November 19th 2006 @ 21:22. Kams Says:
Thanks Kat for dropping by. Not necessarily we would become less important, since we will still remain the creator.

Robot dominating world looks good on plasma TV or in a sci-fi book thats all. Come on we don't even know how our brain develop and adopt this stuff, how we will create something like that?
3. November 19th 2006 @ 22:03. katyzzz Says:
Kams,

True, true but don't you mean adapt rather than adopt, I expected lots of little robots to spawn.

katyzzz
4. November 19th 2006 @ 22:12. Kams Says:
I refer Adopt as Implement not the take on sense.
5. November 24th 2006 @ 01:09. Adrian Says:
Interesting, Kams.

Reminds me of an earlier robotics development... When you watch centipedes or humans, they don't walk perfectly -- they slip and fall all the time, but one leg balances out the other and they simply keep moving.

So some earlier robots were designed on this basis. They didn't have sensors to compensate for movement as such. They just had rules to keep moving all their legs and to try to keep going.
6. November 24th 2006 @ 02:03. Kams Says:
Actually this one is a little different. In this case not only movement (though movement used as an example), any circumstances it will reprogram itself to overcome odds.

For example it is not program to jump when it will be in front of a blockade(which were never been there during lab test), but it will stop-take time calculate all possibilities and draw a possible solution to overcome. Meaning giving it deciding its own choice whatever it thinks best (well not actually think, calculate) under any given environment.

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