| Outcome/accomplishment:
A Segway®-propelled robot is being "trained" to recognize and manipulate
household objects and navigate a home environment. Ultimately, the goal
is for the robot to be able to perform simple household tasks.
Impact/benefits:
Older individuals and the disabled are likely candidates to be early adopters
of the technology. Robot butlers could ease the burden of household tasks
for people with limited strength or mobility.
Explanation/ background:
Researchers at Intel Labs at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), in Pittsburgh,
are steadily developing the hand-eye motor skills of HERB: the Home Exploring
Robot Butler. HERB is a project of the National Science Foundation-funded
Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) Engineering Research Center, which is
headquartered jointly at CMU and the University of Pittsburgh.
The ultimate goal is for
HERB to be able to enter a household, take stock of his surroundings, and
be able to move around freely, avoiding obstacles and carrying objects
as desired by the humans he serves.
For now, programming HERB
is an exercise in imagination and patience. HERB visualizes his environment
in terms of a 3D cartoon-like image. The cartoon tells him in essence the
location of objects and obstacles, so he can adjust his behavior dynamically.
While he’s been programmed to pick up 15 different types of objects, he
has far more trouble than a human would in figuring out the nuances of
grabbing new and unfamiliar objects. One of the researchers' goals is to
help HERB to think for himself in such situations. |
