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MIT's Tiny "Superhero" Robot Dresses for the Job at Hand

posted by martyb on Friday September 29 2017, @01:30PM   Printer-friendly
from the "outfits-sold-separately" dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Robots are generally designed to perform a single, specific task. But now a team from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), led by CSAIL director Daniela Rus and former CSAIL postdoc Shuhei Miyashita, is developing a system that allows a "Primer" robot to don various exoskeletons to give it different capabilities.

The core of the origami-inspired system is the Primer robot, which is a cubical robot that is controlled by magnets and can move about by shaking and buzzing. To carry out more complex tasks, including walking, rolling, sailing, or gliding, the Primer can hop onto a flat sheet of plastic that folds into specific shapes when heated, providing the Primer with a self-donning robotic wardrobe. When finished with its job, the Primer can then hop into a dish of water to dissolve the exoskeleton.

Currently, the Primer has the following exoskeletons on hand,

        -Walk-bot, which allows the Primer to walk about
        -Wheel-bot that allows Primer to move about twice as fast as the Walk-bot
        -Boat-bot, which can float on water and carry a payload twice its weight
        -Glider-bot that allows the Primer to, well, glide through the air

Which exoskeletons should follow?

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 1) by jman on Saturday September 30 2017, @12:58PM

    by jman (6085) Subscriber Badge on Saturday September 30 2017, @12:58PM (#575271) Homepage

    Well, let's see:

    Chat-bot - which allows the Primer to communicate with humans, but only in an inane, annoying, and completely unsatisfying way.

    Loaf-bot - which allows the Primer to conserve energy to the extreme through complete inaction.

    Cheat-bot - which allows the Primer to play Texas Hold 'Em.

    Row-bot - an add-on for Boat-bot, allowing the Primer to chart its own course.

    Juice-bot - which allows the Primer to place and remove bags into and from the squeezing machine (not Temple Grandin's, the other, failed one). An upgrade is in the works which will allow Juice-bot to actually push the button on the squeezing machine.

    Style-bot - which allows the Primer to grace the cover of People magazine.

    Zen-bot - which allows the Primer to sit in the moment. Not to be confused with Loaf-bot, or Row-bot.

    Dole-bot - an add-on for Loaf-bot, which allows the Primer to apply for Government Assistance. As the application process is itself an Action, the resulting feedback loop destroys the Primer, neatly resetting it to its previous behavior.

    Screw-bot - which allows the Primer to interact with Sergi Santos' doll in its native form, reducing wear and tear.

    Hash-bot - due to an internal management struggle at MIT, this currently allows the Primer to perform one of two actions: either cook breakfast, or get totally blitzed. Zen-bot is rumored to be working on an update which may or may not resolve the functionality conundrum.

    And of course ... Politi-bot - an add-on for Chat-bot, allowing the Primer to become the President of the United States.

    The folks at MIT are nothing if not inventive. Soon there will be an entire range of Primers covering all aspects of societal interaction!