Readybot: A kitchen cleaning robot prototype

How would you like a robot that can clean your kitchen? I wouldn't mind it actually. A team of engineers in California's Silicon Valley are determined to create a simple household robot that can clean a kitchen. The Readybot project has been in the works for years and the team has finally created a prototype for testing. The robot looks like R2-D2 from Star Wars and boasts 2 arms and multiple cameras that the robot uses to detect, track and grasp objects such as dishes and glasses found in any household kitchen. The video below shows the prototype Readybot in operation.

Clearly, the robot still needs a considerable amount of work before it can become truly useful but the team has done an excellent job up to this point. Making it a bit smaller so that it can navigate around crowded rooms is definitely one basic improvement that Readybot needs. Other improvements include better manipulation and faster operation.

At the end of the day, everyone expects that useful household robots have to be complex devices as capable as humans are. The truth is that given the current state of robotics and artificial intelligence technology, we are more likely to develop very specialized robots that do one job really well. This has already been proven by the success of iRobot and their household cleaning (indoor and outdoor) army of robots. Chances are that for the next 10-15 years, we are likely to see many such specialized robots running around our houses taking care of daily household chores while we are at work. After this period is over, we will see the availability of more complex robots developed with a human-like appearance and capable of multiple tasks including the learning of new tasks probably via demonstration by a human operator. The future of robotics will be very interesting indeed.

Dextre going to the International Space Station

The Canadian built Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (Dextre) is scheduled to make its first trip to the International Space Station (ISS) on March 11, 2008. Dextre is a kind of add on to the Canadarm2 robotic manipulator already used in the construction of the space station. The 3.7-meter long Dextre is an end-effector (it can also be used independently) for Canadarm2 which will allow astronauts to perform high precision tasks from the safety of the space station without the need for spacewalks.

Dextre is an essential tool for maintaining and servicing the space station. With its dual-arm design providing added flexibility, Dextre will remove and replace smaller components on the Station’s exterior, where precise handling is required. It will be equipped with lights, video equipment, a tool platform and four tool holders.

With its two arms, Dextre will load and unload objects, use robotic tools, attach and detach covers and install various units of the Space Station. It will either be attached to the end of Canadarm2 or ride independently on the Mobile Base System and have Canadarm2 deliver equipment to it for servicing. It also has four cameras that will provide the crew inside the Station with additional views of the work areas.

Dextre will fly to the ISS on-board the space shuttle Endeavour.

Dextre 3D model image is copyright MD Robotics and Canadian Space Agency.

Robot comics coming to ICRA

The organizers of the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) have decided to try and spice things up a little bit introducing the first ever robot comics competition to take place during the 2008 conference this May. The Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) is sponsoring the contest which will award $500 and a year-long IEEE-RAS membership to the winners. The competition calls for anyone who will be registering for the conference to submit a robotics related comic. The best comic will be decided by a committee and the results presented at the conclusion of the conference. ICRA seems to be following on the steps of AAAI who introduced an AI video competition last year.

The organizers of the robot comics competition are Aude Billard, Jorge Cham. All entries (and not only the winner) will be shown during the awards ceremony that takes place every year at the conclusion of the conference. I'm actually rather curious to see what kind of comics robotics scientists will create. I'm certain some of them are going to be very good.

More information including detailed instructions about how to enter the contest at the official web site here.

Elmo Live rocks

Fisher-Price knows how to make an interactive toy that is both fun to play with and technologically innovative. The latest installment of the Sesame Street Elmo doll to be sold in October, 2008, looks pretty amazing. The new Elmo Live can sing and dance, stand up and sit down, tell jokes and stories. The video below is from a recent demonstration showcasing Elmo Live.

So, anyone reading this blog regularly should probably be wondering at this point as to why I bother to talk about Elmo Live. At the end of the day, this is an AI and robotics blog. So, is the new Elmo an intelligent agent and a robot? First of all, depending on what definition of an intelligent agent you accept then Elmo could be thought of as an AI agent. Under the definition that considers an intelligent agent as one that can sense its environment and react accordingly, Elmo Live is an intelligent agent. It has lots of sensors spread out throughout its body and it responds according to the stimuli it receives. Whether it is a robot or not is not a difficult question to answer. Being an intelligent agent and having a physical body qualifies it as a robot.

In addition, Elmo Live is a very affordable robot because according to Fisher-Price when it goes on sale in October it will cost no more than $60. Expect it to be the hottest toy for the 2008 holiday period.

In conclusion, the creators of Elmo Live have shown the world how to create an engaging and fun interactive toy which may not be capable of general artificial intelligence and learning from experience but it is the best one can do given current AI and robotics technology, especially for $60. Some other people in the same market should learn a lesson or two from Fisher-Price and I won't name names!

Volts-IQ SDK demo video

Braintech's computer vision and robotics scientist Rob Sim demonstrates the capabilities of the Volts-IQ SDK for the Microsoft Robotics Studio in the video at the end of this post. The SDK offers image processing services for object detection and tracking. Braintech has big plans for developing image processing technologies for robotics applications such that to decrease the time to go from idea to market. You can download and develop software using the Volts-IQ SDK for free (only for non-commercial use otherwise a license must be purchased.) Anyways, the video says everything you need to know about what the SDK can do for you and how to use it.

Lost in space robot replica

Wouldn't be cool if you could own your own replica of the Lost in Space B-9 robot? It sure would be. Many of us have dreamed of having a robot like the B-9 since we first watched the legendary TV show back in the 60s (okay, I was not born until 1975 so I only saw the robot in reruns much later but it makes little difference.) But alas, modern science has yet to fulfill our dreams. So, how about we just settle for an exact replica of the TV-show robot.

Hammacher Schlemmer offers an exact and genuine replica of the Lost in Space B-9 robot for anyone to own. This robot is so cool that other than being of the correct size, it can also peaks over 500 pre-recorded phrases including the ever so popular "Danger Will Robinson!"

Every detail of the original robot is faithfully reproduced from original archival molds, patterns and blueprints. It is made from fiberglass, acrylic, aluminum, and steel parts, including its rotating torso and radar head, flashing lights, animated ear sensors, and clawed arms. It can be operated using the included remote control, allowing you to move its torso left and right and activate the robots soil sampler (which comes out of its right tread housing and spins; the robot provides an audible environmental analysis thereafter).

Very, very cool. The only problem is the price. Unfortunately, to own your own copy of the Lost in Space B-9 Environmental Control Robot you will have to pay the very steep $24,500 price (which is only $24,497 Canadian for those living North of the border.)

AAAI AI video competition: Take two

The AAAI video competition is back for a second time after a successful first AAAI-07 AI video competition that took place during the annual conference that last year was held in Vancouver, Canada. The conference will be held in Chicago, US, this year. A couple of days ago, famous roboticist Sebastian Thrun sent an email announcing the competition. He said the following,

Submit your best research video! This is the Oscars for AI research videos, with cash prizes and a big ceremony. Let's show the AAAI people how much fun robotics is, and how robotics research will change the world.

The deadline for submitting videos is April 4th. You don't have to be working in a university to participate although they do expect a certain element of quality in the videos submitted.

Compose a short video about an exciting AI/robotics project, and narrate it so that it is accessible to a broad online audience. Accepted videos will be screened in the AAAI-08 registration area on Tuesday, 15 July 2008. During that evening's session, the developers of the best videos will be formally presented with awards. We strongly encourage student participation. So: go ahead and make a cool online video about your AI project, and get a ton of attention!

We encourage a good sense of humor, though we will only accept submissions with serious AI content. Your video might cover contemporary research, or document seminal AI research in the past. Creativity is encouraged!

More information including format specifications at the official AAAI AI video competition website here.

The Slocum Glider: A green energy underwater robot

Researchers in the US have perfected a propulsion mechanism that utilizes the ocean's energy to propel an underwater vehicle. The Slocum Glider takes advantage of the temperature difference at different depths in an ocean to generate energy that is enough to run the robot's motors. A CBC article explains how the glider works,

Traditionally, gliders use battery-powered motors and mechanical pumps to move ballast water or oil from inside the vehicle to a bladder on the vehicle's exterior. This changes its volume and buoyancy without changing its mass, causing it to sink or rise while at the same time pushing it forward.

The researchers say the same principle is at work, only their thermal glider gets its energy from the heat of the ocean. Warmer water closer to the surface warms wax-filled tubes inside the engine, which expand to push oil from the interior to the exterior of the glider. As the glider dives and reaches deeper, colder waters, the wax cools and contracts, bringing the oil back to the interior.

The Slocum thermal glider has an operating range of 40000 Km and a top speed of 0.4 m/s. It is one of many robots manufactured by the Webb Research Corporation. The video below shows the glider in operation.

Robot comedian

This one reminds me of the robot comedian in Futurama; I think it was call Humorbot 5.0 or something similar. Apparently, this robot appeared at CES 2008 at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) booth. It is a 5-feet tall robot (the Sprockt series 5) that NOAA rented from Conceptual Visions for spicing up their booth at the show. Although the guy in the video thinks that the robot operates autonomously, it is in fact controlled by someone else from a remote location. No, this robot doesn't do continuous speech recognition. I mean, did you notice the high level of noise in that room? There is no way speech recognition could work that well today. Further proof is provided at the company's website which states,

Our robots can both entertain and educate audiences about new products and services. They are “state of the art.” The audience never sees a person controlling or talking through a Sprockt robot. The experience is truly magical.

Indeed it is magical because it certainly confused (but hopefully entertained) at least one person attending CES 2008. Video of Sprockt at CES 2008 follows.

Luke Arm video

The online version of the IEEE Spectrum magazine has posted a video describing Dean Kamen's Luke Arm protheses that I wrote about a couple of days ago. The video is describes many of the Luke Arm's capabilities and shows one volunteer amputee who is testing the robot arm and he can now do things that he hadn't been able to do for many years before. Definitely a video worth a look.

Watch the Luke Arm video here.

The Tankpitstop car fueling robot

Cars cannot be mass produced today without the use of industrial robots working tirelessly in the assembly line. Over the last few months, we have also talked about robotic garages that park cars in an efficient way and autonomous cars that can drive for many miles in the desert. The automobile is one consumer product that is not only popular but also a hub for robot automation. Inventors in the Netherlands have designed a robotic arm that can fill your tank at a gas station creating an option between self and full service. They have nicknamed their invention the Tankpitstop robot. According to a Reuters article, the over $110,000 robot works as follows:

A robotic arm fitted with multiple sensors extends from a regular gas pump, carefully opens the car's flap, unscrews the cap, picks up the fuel nozzle and directs it towards the tank opening, much as a human arm would, and as efficiently.

A nice implementation of an obvious idea that many years of robotics research has made possible today.

Read more from Reuters, Dutch unveil robot to fill car gas tank.

The Painting Fool is the machine intelligence competition winner

In the fall of 2007, I wrote about the annual Machine Intelligence competition organized by the British Computer Society. A couple of days ago, Richard emailed me to let me know that the finalists have now been decided and a winner has been chosen. Among the many interesting projects submitted to the competition, the winner was project called The Painting Fool created by Simon Colton, Maja Pantic, and Michel Valstar of the Imperial College London. According to the Press Release I received over email (thanks again Richard) The Painting Fool is software that records video of a person's face, analyzes it to extra information about his/her emotional state and then paints a portrait accordingly. In more detail, it works as follows,

The Emotionally Aware Painting Fool brings together two Artificial Intelligence systems in order to produce computer portraits in an exciting new way. Firstly, the system 'looks' at a video clip of someone expressing an emotion, for instance smiling or frowning. Then, the software determines which emotion is being shown, where the eyes, nose and mouth are in the picture, and at what point in the clip the person is being the most emotional. This information is passed to The Painting Fool, a computer program which aims to be taken seriously as a creative artist in its own right. The Painting Fool chooses its colour palette and painting style according to the emotion in the picture. So, it might choose muted colours and careful pencil marks for a sad portrait, or bright, slapdash paint strokes for a happy portrait. Because The Painting Fool is also told where the facial features are, it can pay more attention to the eyes and mouth, and it can use exaggeration to heighten the emotion.

One example painting can be seen in the image to the top left of this post (click for a larger view.) You can find more examples of paintings at the project's website here. There you can also find a 15-minute long video presentation of The Painting Fool (click here for a direct link to the video.)

This is a cool project but don't think that it was the only great system that entered the machine intelligence competition. A small list of other competition participants with their projects (taken from the PR) includes,

• Mei Yii Lim and Michael Kriegel, Heriot-Watt University with their system FearNot (Fun with Empathic Agents Reaching Novel Outcomes in Teaching). This system uses intelligent graphical characters to improvise relationships between bullies and their victims.


• Tony Allen and Sergio Grau, Nottingham Trent University with SiLog. A voice activated computer password protector.


• Xenogene Gray, Grays Knowledge Engineering, Australia with eGanges, A freely navigable question and answer system for use in law. Client interacts with the system which makes notes for lawyers.


• Eric Atwell, Leeds University with CHEAT a hybrid human-machine intelligence system to generate academic research papers.

You can find more information about the competition and all these projects at the official Machine Intelligence Competition website.

DARPA's "Luke Arm" on schedule for clinical trials

The DARPA funded robotic arm prosthesis known as "Luke arm" and designed by Dean Kamen is soon to go into clinical trials, the last step before it could become available to amputees in desperate need for a prosthetic arm that actually works. You might known Kamen from his well publicized Segway HT platform that unfortunately did not revolutionize our lives as initially predicted; that said, Kamen has been a prolific inventor.

What makes the Luke Arm so much better than prosthesis currently on the market is its advanced dexterity. The arm has 18 degrees of freedom only 4 degrees of freedom sigh of a biological arm and many more than the 3 degrees of freedom available in arm prosthesis today. In addition, high quality electronics and software allow for fine control of the arm which will allow amputees to perform many more complex task than they ever could before.

The arm has motor control fine enough for test subjects to pluck chocolate-covered coffee beans one by one, pick up a power drill, unlock a door, and shake a hand. Six preconfigured grip settings make this possible, with names like chuck grip, key grip, and power grip. The different grips are shortcuts for the main operations humans perform daily.

Thinks look promising for the technology which is scheduled to go clinical trials some time this year. If Kamen's group is successful in keeping the arm's cost to something reasonable compared to current technology, then the Luke Arm could be of huge help to the more than 6000 upper extremity amputees a year in the Unites States alone.

Sarah Adee has written an extensive article at the IEEE Spectrum blog describing the history, technology, and future of the "Luke Arm." It is definitely worth a read if you want to know more about this revolutionary technology.