A robot gets sensitive skin

"The robot has moved a step closer to humanity," concludes a news release put out today by a German research institute on the development of a robotic skin.

The "skin" consists of 2-inch square hexagonal plates packed with sensors for things like touch, acceleration and temperature that are joined together in a honeycomb-like configuration.

"We try to pack many different sensory modalities into the smallest of spaces," said Philip Mettendorfer, who is developing the skin at the Technical University of Munich, in the news release. "In addition, it is easy to expand the circuit boards to later include other sensors, for example, pressure."

The technology, according to the researchers, will provide robots with tactile information to complement their camera eyes, infrared scanners and gripping hands. Tap it on the back, in the dark, and it will know you're there.

In the video above, researchers test the sensors on a robotic arm by doing things such as brushing it with a piece of tissue paper and touching it with a warm hand to show how the robot quickly jerks away. In another test, the accelerometer allows it to keep a cup on a tray steady as the arm is moved around.

For now, the skin consists of just 15 sensors, though the researchers plan to create a prototype completely draped in the skin-line sensors that can interact with its environment.
The research effort, described in June issue of IEEE Transactions on Robotics, joins other quests around the world for robotic skin.

Ali Javey's group at the University of California at Berkeley, for example, recently reported on a new material for e-skin that can detect a range of pressures. This could, for example, allow a robot to distinguish between an egg and a frying pan and adjust its grip accordingly.

NASA scientists reported development of a skin that would give robots a sense of touch as it moved about its environment. Similar to Mettendorfer's concept, this would help robots react, for example, when they bump into an object.

The goal for robotic skin experts doesn't stop at the current sensory accomplishments. "These machines will someday be able to incorporate our fundamental neurobiological capabilities and form a self-impression," according to the Technical University of Munich.

High speed robotic hand

Robot folds laundry

UC Berkeley roboticist Pieter Abbeel and his colleagues developed software that enables a robot to fold towels. From the abstract to their scientific paper:

"The robot begins by picking up a randomly dropped towel from a table, goes through a sequence of vision-based re-grasps and manipulations-- partially in the air, partially on the table--and finally stacks the folded towel in a target location. The reliability and robustness of our algorithm enables for the first time a robot with general purpose manipulators to reliably and fully-autonomously fold previously unseen towels, demonstrating success on all 50 out of 50 single-towel trials as well as on a pile of 5 towels. "

L300 Automatic Robot Lawn Mower Demo Video

Auto Lawn Mow presents the new line L300 basic model of Auto Lawn mowers. As the top of the line model, this is a robotic auto lawn mower that can handle over three acres of grass. Clean, effective and fully automatic, you can do whatever you want to do while the robot mows the grass. To understand the power of our flagship auto lawn mower, explore the range of features and benefits of the L300. This beautiful robotic lawn mower is everything you ever wanted and more!

Controlling and programming the new top of the range L300 model couldn't be easier. Using a Bluetooth™ mobile phone set the days and times you want L300 to cut or use the simple control panel on the rear of the mower. The heavy duty wheel motors are ideal for 30° slopes.

Intelligent mowing technology, means where the grass is longer, the L300 Robotic Lawn Mower will perform a 'Smart Spiral' function. In shorter grass L300 will save power by slowing the blade down.

This really is the Rolls Royce of robot lawn mowing. It not only looks good on the outside, it is very high-tech on the inside.

Fully Autonomous - The L300 Robotic Lawn mower returns to the recharge base on its own when the battery gets low - You can go all season long without worry. Get up to 8 hours without having to re-charge.

L300 Automatic Robot Lawn Mower Demo Video
by robotm

New generation of robots ready to take over dangerous, dirty jobs

Various Aquatic Robots - fish & jellyfish