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
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.
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.
Science has came across far beyond imagination in last few decades, but still Robotics
StarFish Robot
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, 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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