Robotic Helpers To Be A Reality Soon: Google's Atlas Taught To Do Chores

Researchers from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Florida, have programmed Google’s Atlas robot to perform household chores such as picking up trash and vacuuming.

The Atlas, which was built by Google’s Boston Dynamics Division, is one of the most advanced robots in the world. The humanoid robot was designed to be highly mobile, and can even tackle rough outdoor terrain with ease. The mobility of the Atlas comes from its ability to coordinate the use of all its limbs with high levels of accuracy; this makes it able to climb rough, steep slopes, and make its way through tight spaces.

Atlas also has an array of visual sensors, including head mounted cameras and a laser range finder that lets the robot gauge the distance between objects in the environment. These visual sensors are mounted on its head so that the robot can perform demanding or dangerous tasks without damaging its sensor array.

Its hands are designed to facilitate the use of human tools. Atlas is also able to duplicate almost all ranges of human motion, thanks to its hydraulically actuated limbs and torso. This means that the robot could, theoretically, perform any function human beings can, provided the action is programmed into it.

Because Google allows independent roboticists access to the Atlas, they are able to try out their codes in the robot. If the code runs successfully, that success can be duplicated in any other robot with similar capabilities. This means that the code run by the researchers can be successfully run on a similar humanoid robot; that could be a huge leap towards the creation of robotic helpers that can perform household chores and errands.

Such robotic helpers could no doubt revolutionize our homes, and could very well change our lives, forever. Although a housebroken robot butler is still years away, the success demonstrated on the Atlas states that they can be a reality, quite possibly in our lifetimes.

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