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MIT unveils dexterous robotic hands that can ‘manipulate thousands of objects with ease’

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MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has revealed a dexterous robotic hand that scientists say can “manipulate thousands of objects with ease”. (See video below.)

At just one year old, a baby is more dexterous than a robot. Sure, machines can do more than just pick up and put down objects, but we’re not quite there as far as replicating a natural pull towards exploratory or sophisticated dexterous manipulation goes.

OpenAI gave it a try with “Dactyl” (meaning “finger” from the Greek word daktylos), using their humanoid robot hand to solve a Rubik’s cube with software that’s a step towards more general AI, and a step away from the common single-task mentality. DeepMind created “RGB-Stacking,” a vision-based system that challenges a robot to learn how to grab items and stack them.

Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), in the ever-present quest to get machines to replicate human abilities, created a framework that’s more scaled up: a system that can reorient over two thousand different objects, with the robotic hand facing both upwards and downwards. [Read more…] about MIT unveils dexterous robotic hands that can ‘manipulate thousands of objects with ease’

A system for designing and training intelligent soft robots

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‘Evolution Gym’ is a large-scale benchmark for co-optimizing the design and control of soft robots that takes inspiration from nature and evolutionary processes

Let’s say you wanted to build the world’s best stair-climbing robot. You’d need to optimize for both the brain and the body, perhaps by giving the bot some high-tech legs and feet, coupled with a powerful algorithm to help enable the climb.

Although design of the physical body and its brain, the “control”, are key ingredients to letting the robot move, existing benchmark environments favor only the latter. Co-optimizing for both elements is hard – it takes a lot of time to train various robot simulations to do different things, even without the design element.

Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), aimed to fill the gap by designing “Evolution Gym”, a large-scale testing system for co-optimizing the design and control of soft robots, taking inspiration from nature and evolutionary processes. [Read more…] about A system for designing and training intelligent soft robots

What Is the Smallest Earth Observation Camera System?

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Satellite cameras are becoming more sophisticated each passing day. Whether it’s a space mission or advanced research, mini cameras are vital.

Remote sensing technologies are terrific. Satellite images provide advanced information of the earth’s surface. Satellite subsystems, including Earth observation satellites, present countless opportunities.

Picturing and analyzing helps to plan, watch, or predict the outcome of your farm. A satellite camera allows you to get panchromatic, multispectral, and hyper spectral images. [Read more…] about What Is the Smallest Earth Observation Camera System?

High-energy shape memory polymer could enable robots ‘flex their muscles’

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A high-energy shape memory polymer could someday enable robots to “flex their muscles”, according its developers.

When stretched or deformed, shape memory polymers return to their original shapes after heat or light is applied.

These materials show great promise for soft robotics, smart biomedical devices and deployable space structures, but until now they haven’t been able to store enough energy. [Read more…] about High-energy shape memory polymer could enable robots ‘flex their muscles’

Flow Robotics brings its automated pipetting robot to North America

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Flow Robotics, a Denmark-based designer and producer of robots for automated liquid handling and the creator of the flowbot One, has established its North American subsidiary, with operations in Princeton, New Jersey. 

The company’s first product, the flowbot One, is designed to transform how liquid handling responsibilities are performed in the laboratory by automating manual pipetting tasks.

The robot will be showcased for the first time in the US at the SLAS 2021 Americas Sample Management Hybrid Symposium September 9-10 in La Jolla, California. [Read more…] about Flow Robotics brings its automated pipetting robot to North America

Scientists research ‘matter waves’ to shine light on post electronics future

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Most modern technologies owe their success to advances in electronics. These devices harness the flow of electrons in different ways to create computers, charge batteries, light-up displays, and move motors.

Now researchers are starting to explore ways to harness the flow of waves of whole atoms, called matter waves, to enable new kinds of sensors, computers, and scientific research.

This new field has been named atomtronics, owing to the focus on finding ways to move whole atoms rather than electrons in traditional electronics devices. [Read more…] about Scientists research ‘matter waves’ to shine light on post electronics future

Nvidia and USC researchers demonstrate autonomous robotic cutting

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Nvidia and USC researchers have demonstrated an innovative approach to Autonomous Robotic Cutting in new work nominated for a Best Paper Award at the Robotics Science & Systems Conference  last month. (See video and images below.)

Robotic cutting of soft materials is critical for applications such as food processing, household automation, and surgical manipulation. As in other areas of robotics, simulators can facilitate controller verification, policy learning, and dataset generation. Moreover, differentiable simulators can enable gradient-based optimization, which is invaluable for calibrating simulation parameters and optimizing controllers.

In their work nominated for a Best Paper Award at RSS 2021, Nvidia researchers present DiSECt: the first differentiable simulator for cutting soft materials. The simulator augments the finite element method (FEM) with a continuous contact model based on signed distance fields (SDF), as well as a continuous damage model that inserts springs on opposite sides of the cutting plane and allows them to weaken until zero stiffness, enabling crack formation. [Read more…] about Nvidia and USC researchers demonstrate autonomous robotic cutting

Desolination: Unique energy and water project combines solar power and desalination

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A unique, €10 million “Desolination” project, involving 19 partners and 12 countries, aims to develop a “first-of-its-kind efficient coupling of concentrated solar power and desalination techniques”.

The Horizon 2020 Desolination project started in June, this year and will last 48 months until May 2025.

During this time, innovative technologies related to both concentrated solar power and desalination will be designed to improve the efficiency of existing concepts. [Read more…] about Desolination: Unique energy and water project combines solar power and desalination

Teknic ClearPath servos power Guinness World Record domino robot

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Teknic’s ClearPath servos were used to power a much-talked-about robot called “the Dominator”, a Guinness World Record setting robot, made by Mark Rober (main picture). 

In just over 24 hours, the Dominator placed more than over 100,000 dominos to create a Super Mario Brothers mural. (See video below.)

Teknic’s all-in-one servos were used to power the omnidirectional wheels to place 300 dominos at a time, with an accuracy of a couple millimeters. [Read more…] about Teknic ClearPath servos power Guinness World Record domino robot

The robot smiles back: Columbia scientists teach robot how to respond to human facial expressions

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Columbia Engineering researchers use AI to teach robots to make appropriate reactive human facial expressions, an ability that could build trust between humans and their robotic co-workers and care-givers. (See video below.)

While our facial expressions play a huge role in building trust, most robots still sport the blank and static visage of a professional poker player.

With the increasing use of robots in locations where robots and humans need to work closely together, from nursing homes to warehouses and factories, the need for a more responsive, facially realistic robot is growing more urgent. [Read more…] about The robot smiles back: Columbia scientists teach robot how to respond to human facial expressions