Robotics Archives - Page 3 of 11

November 12, 2023November 12, 2023

The First General-purpose Humanoid Robot

Starting from February 2024, the biped H1 from Unitree Robotics will be available at Generation Robots. It is “the most powerful and cost-effective humanoid robot on the market, measuring 1.80 meters, weighing 47 kilograms, and capable of walking at a speed of 5.5 km/h” (Generation Robots website). Until now, the Chinese company has been particularly noted for its quadrupeds, which are able to compete with the products of Boston Dynamics. Entry-level models like Go2 are unbeatably affordable, although it remains to be seen whether prices will increase after the initial surge. Unitree itself markets the H1 as the “First General-purpose Humanoid Robot”. The price is expected to be under 90,000 dollars. A video demonstrates how the robot moves confidently on two legs and remains stable even when attacked, without stumbling or falling (Image: DALL-E 3).

September 27, 2023September 27, 2023

Ingenuity on the Hunt for Records

On 19 April 2021, Ingenuity successfully performed an experiment on Mars (Photo: NASA). The little helicopter flew vertically into the air, took a selfie with its shadow, and landed safely back on the ground. There are many expectations and aspirations associated with the red planet. Its surface is currently being explored in an unprecedented way. In a few years, humans are expected to travel to Mars. According to Digital Trends, Ingenuity arrived as a technology demonstration, “with the team keen to see if such a contraption could become the first to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet” (Digital Trends, 26 September 2023). The platform reported on September 26, 2023: “Just a week after setting a new altitude record on Mars, NASA’s impressive Ingenuity helicopter has just flown faster than ever before, reaching a speed of 17.9 mph (8 meters per second) during its 60th flight. Its previous record was 15 mph (6.5 m/s) in a flight earlier this year.” (Digital Trends, 26 September 2023) It can already be said that the deployment of the small helicopter on Mars is a complete success.

September 14, 2023September 14, 2023

Autonomous Trains in Switzerland

According to various Swiss media, such as the Tages-Anzeiger and Watson, the Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS) will start test runs with an automated or autonomous train in October 2023. This will be “only on routes where there are empty runs” (Watson, September 13, 2023, own translation). According to the media, this would meet the required level of safety. “The test runs were preceded by extensive clarifications and studies – among other things, to clarify this question. At present, it is also being examined whether spatial monitoring of the level crossing is necessary, which is located on the route between Bätterkinden station and the turning track.” (Watson, September 13, 2023, own translation) Worldwide, many subways operate driverless and largely accident-free. Shuttles that travel at low speeds on virtual rails have also been used successfully for years – in Switzerland, the SmartShuttle was a pioneering project. It makes sense to automate rail traffic in this country. There is no doubt that in a few years, passenger transportation will also take this form.

August 11, 2023August 11, 2023

Expansion of Robocar Operations in Frisco

Robot cabs have been seen in San Francisco for years, first by Uber, then by Cruise and Waymo. But there have been various restrictions on their operation in the past. NBC BAY AREA reported on August 10, 2023: “California regulators on Thursday approved an expansion that will allow two rival robotaxi services to operate throughout San Francisco at all hours, despite safety worries spurred by recurring problems with unexpected stops and other erratic behavior that resulted in unmanned vehicles blocking traffic, including emergency vehicles.” (NBC BAY AREA, 10 August 2023) It goes on to say: “The California Public Utilities Commission voted to approve rival services from Cruise and Waymo to operate around-the-clock service. It will make San Francisco first major U.S. city with two fleets of driverless vehicles competing for passengers against ride-hailing and taxi services dependent on humans to operate the cars.” (NBC BAY AREA, 10 August 2023) It is highly likely that accidents will occur, including personal injury. A city is a highly complex environment, and the technology for autonomous driving is far from mature. In addition, the population and tourists are not sufficiently prepared for this form of traffic.

July 30, 2023July 30, 2023

The Robot-elevator Project

An elevator is still a bit of a problem for a service robot. A first approach is to use social features such as facial expressions and sounds. The user trusts the machine or feels sorry for it and helps it into the lift. A second option is for the robot to press the right buttons with its gripper. However, this can be very difficult and can also cause problems, for example when people are present. A third option is for the robot and the elevator to communicate via appropriate interfaces. This is certainly the most elegant solution, but it requires some technical standardisation and upgrading. As reported by the Korea Economic Daily, KT, LG Elec, and Hyundai Elevator have joined forces in the “robot-elevator project”. The vision is described in the teaser as follows: “A robot freely gets on and off an elevator and moves around a building, doing everything from coffee to parcel delivery and route guidance.” (KED, 28 July 2023) About the plans of the three companies, the magazine says: “The three will jointly plan and search for elevator-robot linkage services, con-duct cooperation to secure competitiveness in robotics services and look for new business lines. KT and LG Electronics said a far more competitive system of robotics services is possible by linking an elevator to a robot since robots must freely move between floors to increase their utility.” (KED, 28 July 2023) More information is available at www.kedglobal.com/robotics/newsView/ked202307280005.

July 15, 2023July 15, 2023

Disabling Autonomous Vehicles

“Anti-car activists have come up with a novel and effective way of disabling driverless vehicles owned by Waymo and Cruise in San Francisco: placing traffic cones on their hoods. It’s the work of a group called Safe Streets Rebel, which has launched a protest dubbed ‘Week of Cone’.” (Techspot, 11 July 2023) This was reported by Techspot on 11 July 2023. Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel has been pointing out for several years that automated and autonomous cars can be crippled in a simple way. On 6 March 2018, in an article in a Swiss IT journal, he asked, “Does autonomous driving fail because of manipulated sensors?” … A thesis by his student M. Hashem Birahjakli then systematically compiled and examined methods and means. A blog post about it states: “The results of the work suggest that every 14-year-old girl or boy could disable a self-driving car. So far, hacking has been seen as the greatest threat to autonomous driving. But while not everyone can hack, almost everyone carries chewing gum or lipstick. The automotive industry should consider this threat seriously.” The operator Waymo reacts helplessly to the actions. According to the German magazine Golem, a press spokesman emphasized that the traffic cone action shows a lack of understanding of how autonomous vehicles work and is vandalism. In fact, the activists know very well how autonomous vehicles work. And that is precisely the problem.

May 27, 2023May 27, 2023

The Rise of the Humanoid Robots

If a report in Wired is to be believed, humanoid robotics has entered a decisive phase. The editor describes the case of Figure AI. This company from Sunnyvale, CA is building a humanoid robot for warehouse work and recently announced $70 million in investment funding. Chief Technology Officer Jerry Pratt is one of the key figures. “Pratt says his company’s robot is taking its first steps around a mocked-up warehouse in Sunnyvale, California. Brett Adcock, Figure’s CEO, reckons it should be possible to build humanoids at the same cost of making a car, providing there is enough demand to ramp up production.” (Wired, 25 May 2023) According to Wired, Figure AI is not the only company betting that humanoid robots are maturing. “Others include 1X, Apptronik, and Tesla.” (Wired, 25 May 2023) Tesla’s Optimus recently made an appearance on stage that was much more convincing than the first. By the way, it looks similar to the Figure AI model. Improvements in the robots can be seen in motor skills, but also in perception and control. Language models like PaLM-E could play an important role here in the future.

May 13, 2023May 13, 2023

Robots in Hawai’i – Part 7

Mauna Kea volcano is the highest mountain in the world, measured from the bottom of the sea. It is considered a sacred place in the culture of Hawai’i. In this context, the famous and important telescopes on the top are always the cause of bitter disputes. The operation of drones is also not allowed on the mountain. However, a small robot made it on it in 2008. This was reported by several media outlets, including Science Daily. “During the field experiment, Nov. 1-13, the robot called Scarab will simulate a lunar mission to extract water, hydrogen, oxygen and other compounds that could potentially be mined for use by future lunar explorers. The four-wheeled robot will trek to different sites, using a Canadian-built drill to obtain a one-meter geologic core at each site. Each core will be chemically analyzed by on-board instruments developed by NASA.” (Science Daily, 14 October 2008) After that, it became increasingly difficult for robots to climb Mauna Kea. It is easier for scientists and tourists, who only need 4-wheel drive and robust health.