Robots Do The Darndest Things

alito writes "15 years ago they couldn't get them to walk, now they are rollerskating (video). Read more about the 2004 Intelligent Robotics and Systems conference in this New Scientist article, and at the conference's site. Also shown at IROS, a childbirth simulator for obstetricians, a capsule that crawls through your intestines, and a 3-mm long swimming robot. (No, I don't get paid by New Scientist.)"

Comments

what's the point?

[wintermute1000]

You know, not only did I not think that robot was great at roller-skating, I just can't think of any real use for a roller-skating robot even if it were a real ace at the sport. Meanwhile, my house could use cleaning, and there aren't any robots to do it for me (well, Roomba et al, but I'm talking real cleaning). I think there needs to be a reevaluation of priorities in the robot design field. Who needs another goddamned dancing/skating/stairclimbing robot?

Re:what's the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

This looks a bit pointless to me too. I mean all well & good making robots for miniscule applications, like the rollerskating one, or a birth trainer, but what about making ones that can help ALL people?. I don't know about anyone else but putting this much effort into applications for a subgroup of the population smacks of waste.

How about improving the existing robots we have now, and moving on from there?

EEG controlled robots

[gihan_ripper]

From TFA:

Millan is developing robotics that can be controlled using EEG signals from the brain. He hopes eventually to enable disabled and paralyzed people to control robotic wheelchairs or prosthetics in this way.

Looks like Professor Xavier may follow shortly!

But seriously, this does seem to be a real potential benefit for all humans. We will effectively be able to extend our own bodies using robotic technology, perhaps controlling figher aircraft and other complex machinery with our minds.

Re:Duping yourself now timothy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh, check the links. The story about the intestine robot is a dupe. It links to the EXACT same New Scientist story. If he were actually editing, he could've removed it.

I'd like to see . . .

[StateOfTheUnion]

I'd like to see how good these roller skating robots could handle a good solid roller hockey body check. Now that would be a real test of robotic balance.

Seriously, the robot dancer/skater/stairclimber are all interesting but they run through what I assume is a static algorithm . . . what about inducing some disturbance and writing an algorithm to reject the disturbance to the robot's balance system.

Re:Robot isn't autonomous, its remotley controlled

[Scrameustache]

The robots(sic) is a small version of the Honda robot

No, that robot is the Sony robot. A completely different beast.
Japan is funding research into humanoid robot devellopment, and so all the big companies are develloping their own.

Honda was the first to get a humanoid walking robot. By now its smaller, runs on batteries and they even programmed it to recognise faces and a few words of japanese. You can instruct it verbally to follow you around, its quite an achievement.

Sony has their doll sized robots who can dance and run around and allmost skate (its not really skating), and it can mimic the movement of a surfer on a mechanised surf board. It impressed me by its ability to keep its balanced when lightly shoved, and to get back up if it falls down.

Toyota has a trumpet playing robot, who was on wheels at first, but they pretty much had to give it legs after the other two did it. And in doing so also made a sort of robot-legged chair, the demo video of which is worth seeing for the look of great fear in its test pilot's eyes, despite his helmet and four point harness.

As far as commercial applications, Honda rents its robot to companies and museums for its coolness factor, and has plans to sell it as a household appliance for the elderly. Its the size of a child and I think they aim to have it able to perform the simple tasks an old person might give a child to do as chores. Pick stuff up, help them out of bed and whatnot.
Sony are apparently going for the high-tech doll market, a follow-up to its robot dog product line.
Toyota...I dunno, superhuman robot orchestra? They seem to be a "mee too" effort.

Re:We're headed for trouble

[Scrameustache]

robotics, even *with* benign top priority imperatives NOT TO HARM humans

The army doesn't call them robots, they call them "unmanned vehicles", but they are heading towards autonomy, and they are carrying "payloads".

Killer robots aren't a possibility, they are a reality (and besidses, industrial robots have accidently killed humans already).

Naturally, the robot will have a strong need for self preservation.

Naturally.
But the robot is not a creation of nature, and so might very well not be endowed with this trait. We might motivate them to be slightly suicidal by engineering a permanent pain in all the diodes down its left side. That way, even if it has a brain the size of a planet, it will never muster up the drive to enslave mankind.

Re:Personally, I'm not that impressed

[rebelcool]

many of the robotic dog soccer teams reprogram their AIBOs to speed up the walk/run. This requires several hours of machine learning and self-taught 'trial and error' due to minute variations in each robot's mechanical conditions.

Its kind of creepy to walk into a dark room and hear the machinations of a dozen little robots walking back and forth for hours as they learn to walk faster.

Re:prostate simulation

[MmmDee]

Ha, well the article's picture relieved my mind a bit regarding where my imagination was going with this (for reference, google on "Sybian"). In medical school I was amazed that living models (male/female) are trained/paid to allow hordes of medical students do various breast/pelvic/rectal exams on them. Some volunteer. I understand that in days gone by, fellow classmates "volunteered" to let other classmates examine them (rough on those early women admitted to medical school).