« previous next »
Pages:  [1]     Go Down

Author Topic: Breakthrough: Personal Robot Folds Towels.  (Read 2546 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Mental Hobbit

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 461
Breakthrough: Personal Robot Folds Towels.
« on: Sat, 03 April 2010, 09:44:33 »
Robots just got roped into doing some light housework. Researchers at UC Berkeley used Willow Garage’s PR2 robot to fold towels.
Full article here.

I'm wondering what's so fascinating about watching a robot fold towels - but it is ****ing fascinating. Interesting background article on the open source Personal Robot here.

>
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385">[/youtube]
Logged
Typing on blues.

Offline hyperlinked

  • Posts: 924
Breakthrough: Personal Robot Folds Towels.
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 03 April 2010, 09:54:44 »
That is awesome! I love how it spins the towel around to figure out where the ends are!
Logged
-

Topre: Realforce 103U Cherry: Filco Majestouch 104 (Brown), Ione Scorpius M10 (Blue)
Buckling Spring: IBM Model M1391401 ALPS: Apple Extended Keyboard II (Cream), ABS M1 (Fukka/Black), MicroConnectors Flavored USB (Black)
Domes: Matias Optimizer, Kensington ComfortType, Microsoft Internet Keyboard
Scissors: Apple Full Sized Aluminum
Pointy Stuff: Razer Imperator, Razer Copperhead, DT225 Trackball, Apple Magic Mouse, Logitech MX1000, Apple Mighty Mouse
Systems: MacPro, MacBook Pro, ASUS eeePC netbook, Dell D600 laptop, a small cluster of Linux Web servers
Displays: Apple Cinema Display 30", Apple Cinema Display 23"
Ergo Devices: Zody Chair, Nightingale CXO, Somaform, Theraball, 3M AKT180LE Keyboard Tray

Offline Nonmouse

  • Posts: 298
Breakthrough: Personal Robot Folds Towels.
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 03 April 2010, 11:14:05 »
That looks almost exactly like how I fold towels- "Where the hell's the corner?  Oh, there it is....  Damnit, why can't I find the other corner?   Ah-ha!"   Fold fold fold...
Logged

Offline clickclack

  • * Maker
  • Posts: 942
  • Board Chow EXTRAORDINAIRE
Breakthrough: Personal Robot Folds Towels.
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 03 April 2010, 15:06:57 »
Mesmerizing!
Logged
862+ keyboards and counting!   R.I.P.ster          Vendor link ->Clack Factory

Offline Mental Hobbit

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 461
Breakthrough: Personal Robot Folds Towels.
« Reply #4 on: Sat, 03 April 2010, 16:02:02 »
Quote from: webwit;169306
So this is the same as a robot programmed to paint a car. Or a washing machine.


Not really. Robots programmed to paint cars washing machines have to be told when and where exactly to expect a car or a washing machine. If you feed the car painting robot a washing machine and the washing machine robot a car, the outcome will be nasty.
Logged
Typing on blues.

Offline clickclack

  • * Maker
  • Posts: 942
  • Board Chow EXTRAORDINAIRE
Breakthrough: Personal Robot Folds Towels.
« Reply #5 on: Sat, 03 April 2010, 16:06:12 »
Quote from: webwit;169306
I'm not so impressed because I just see a thing executing a programmer's algorithm, very obviously. So this is the same as a robot programmed to paint a car. Or a washing machine. Nice tool though.


yeah, but, but.... did you see the way it moves???

Hmmm... come to think of it, if its searching for the corners, then I wonder how interesting it would be if you handed it a round table cloth to fold =D
« Last Edit: Sat, 03 April 2010, 16:07:11 by clickclack »
Logged
862+ keyboards and counting!   R.I.P.ster          Vendor link ->Clack Factory

Offline Rajagra

  • Posts: 1930
Breakthrough: Personal Robot Folds Towels.
« Reply #6 on: Sat, 03 April 2010, 16:35:34 »
My cat tends to sleep on any crumpled towels it finds lying around. This could make a deadly (but cartoon-like) combination.
Logged

Offline Mental Hobbit

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 461
Breakthrough: Personal Robot Folds Towels.
« Reply #7 on: Sat, 03 April 2010, 19:00:43 »
I think it'll take a couple more years of development till the robot can properly skin a cat before folding it.
Logged
Typing on blues.
Pages:  [1]     Go Up
« previous next »