Cornell University students are developing personal robots that are capable of performing various household tasks. Ashutosh Saxena, assistant professor of computer science, instructed the students on the various topics during the Robot Learning session. The students showcased their work in the Duffield Atrium on May 17.
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Students displayed a wide range of small robots. Each robot exhibits the ability to carry out a specific task. Saxena explained that industrial robots can be configured to perform only a single task in a repeated manner, but a personal robot is required to learn from its surroundings and function accordingly. Cornell’s robots are called Polar, according to Saxena, which stands for PersOnaL Assistant Robot. Since their symbol is a bear, the robots are named Polar, Panda and Blue.
A team of students used a typical industrial robot linked to computers to handle objects of various sizes, shapes, and placed at various locations. Another team designed a robot that was capable of handling an object with bendable components, position the objects in a cardboard box. Following this, the robot was required to shut the box’s flaps.
Students used robots for performing various tasks such as following a human and managing a robot with hand gestures, object avoidance, and mapping an unfamiliar area. Students also designed a robot that detected human activity. It could comprehend a person’s action whether he was drinking, lying down, sitting, or standing.
Source: http://www.news.cornell.edu/