Extending from the factory floor and into your living room, the personal robot’s time has arrived. These devices have pushed past uses as expensive and cute toys like Sony’s Aibo and into sophisticated and affordable products that perform a number of functions in and around the home. Allied Business Intelligence Research says that the personal robotics market, which includes robotic toys, educational robots, and task-based robots, will reach $15 billion by 2015.
In the January 2007 issue of Scientific American, Microsoft’s Bill Gates predicted that the service robot market will massively increase over the next few years. In his article, titled “A Robot In Every Home,” Gates argued that there are similarities between the 1980s computer market and today’s service robot market. In the 1980s, the computer market was expensive and reserved for users with deep technical knowledge. The same could be said of robots now.
AnthroTronix, which designs, develops, and tests systems that optimize human-technology interaction, is developing tele-rehabilitation tools to motivate and integrate therapy, learning, and play. These technologies are being developed in conjunction with therapists, educators, parents, and children with disabilities. Once commercialized, AnthroTronix’s CosmoBot robotics toolkit will be available to educators, schools, rehabilitation facilities, clinicians, and the general public. Its components will be compatible with off-the-shelf software, switches, and sensors.
COCKTAILS ANYONE? Robotic bartending systems can be seen in some large bars and lounges, doing the work of several human bartenders, but much faster. These systems serve mixed drinks, draft beer, wine, sodas, and juices, highlighting potential applications in the growing service sector. To demonstrate the usefulness of service robotics, some companies have used them at trade shows to serve drinks.
The centerpiece of the RoboBar from Motoman is a humanoid machine featuring a tuxedo-clad body and a flat-screen “video” head displaying a face. One of its two arms grips glasses while the other picks up and uncaps beer bottles. The glass-handling arm moves to a tower fitted with four dispensing guns that can each pour 16 liquors, mixes, juices, and wines.
Other robotic systems now routinely and automatically fill and dispense millions of drug prescriptions. Technologies like those from Parata Systems can be seen in large pharmacy chains like Walgreens, as well as in independent and institutional pharmacies.
In the retail food industry, robots move pallets of frozen foods in subzero freezers. They also now package foods. Certain manufacturers are investigating end-user food markets like restaurants, where robots would serve customers. The use of robots in education and entertainment has been well established. Some robots even compete in sports events like soccer.
Kiva Systems makes robots that are revolutionizing inventory management of goods in warehouses and storage areas. Using these robots, operators can stand still while the products are brought to them. Pallets, cases, and orders stored on inventory pods are picked up and moved by a fleet of mobile robotic drive units. As a result, any product can go to any operator. Staples and Walgreens are two of Kiva Systems’ largest customers.
Robots are moving from traditional and relatively mature industrial applications, which aren’t growing markets, past the retail market, and into the home. The home market has great potential as robot costs drop to affordable levels and performance improves. Such robots are assuming roles in construction, refuse and other collection, monitoring, education, entertainment, personal assistance, and much more.
Already, several personal robots are available for use as home sentries, lawn mowers, swimming pool cleaners, entertainment consoles, and assistants for the elderly, handicapped, and those with limited mobility. For example, iRobot has sold more than 2.5 million Roomba vacuums for domestic cleaning (Fig. 1, top).
Similarly, the 6.9-kg FloorBot from Australiabased Floorbotics Corp. serves retail outlets, offices, and homes. It has a smart navigation system and can run for 40 minutes on a fourhour battery charge. Measuring 350 mm in diameter, it can pick up 1.2 liters of dirt (Fig. 1, left). Other companies like Belgium-based Belrobotics offer robotic lawnmowers for both homes and large-area applications like golf courses.
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS A key R&D area in personal robotics focuses on better robot environmental awareness and clearer interaction with users. Robots need greater operational autonomy in performing different tasks, requiring advances in cognitive capabilities helped by better sensors and artificial-intelligence algorithms. Much of this work may be in the lab, but it looks promising. In fact, some of the work may be on the cusp of commercialization.
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University are collaborating on a simple “point and click” interaction system. Instead of using a verbal command like “pick up the cup near the couch,” which would require elaborate voice and image recognition software, the system uses a laser pointer (Fig. 2).
The user shines the laser pointer at the object that should be retrieved, such as a towel, book, bottle, cup, or telephone. The robot, nicknamed El-E (pronounced “Ellie”), uses its custom-built omnidirectional camera to scan its entire environment and find the laser-marked object. It then moves toward the object and picks it up, taking advantage of the fact that many indoor objects can be found on smooth, flat surfaces that have a uniform appearance. Finally, El-E brings the object back to the user.
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