Ordinarily, when we think of places where industrial robots are used, we picture the factory floors of deep-pocketed corporations such as Ford or Honda. That could soon change, however, with today’s announcement of the Baxter robot. Made by Boston-based Rethink Robotics, it costs about half as much as most of the least expensive industrial robots currently on the market. Also, it is reportedly very user-friendly – no robotics experts or custom software are required when teaching it new tasks.
According to the company, the two-armed robot “can be trained just as you would teach a person.” This means that a regular factory worker could teach Baxter to perform a new task by physically guiding it through the required motions, within less than half an hour – no code-writing required. Once it has learned a task, it is said to be able to apply common sense to what it’s doing. If it should drop an item, for instance, it will realize that it needs to get another one in order to complete its task.
That claimed common sense, along with various integrated sensors, allows Baxter to be aware of and to “understand” its surroundings. It is therefore able to safely work alongside humans, slowing down its actions when they enter its workspace, and ceasing its movements when unexpectedly making contact with them.
Along with its price, one of the attractions for smaller manufacturers is the fact that the robot can reportedly be on the factory floor and ready for training in less than one hour after delivery – no additional hardware or software is needed. Because it can be trained new tasks relatively quickly (and can be mounted on an optional wheeled pedestal), it is conducive to performing several functions in several locations, even within the same day.
Owners will be able to expand the capabilities of their robots with regular software updates. Some of these updates will come courtesy of a development kit, which will allow people in the robotics community to develop new software.
Baxter is available now for pre-order at a price of US$22,000, with shipments scheduled to begin next month. The robot can be seen in action in the video below.
Source: Rethink Robotics via New Scientist
Not everyone is an intellectual and it seems to me that if the technology can be taken right down to really small scale businesses, then we are going to create a large pool of disgruntled, unemployed ex-factory workers.
There is strength in numbers and we had better have a plan for how we as a society handle such a situation, rather than simply employing this technology willy-nilly until there is a revolt.
Alas I found it qualified me to do not much more than operate this type of machine for wages that kids at Macdonalds were getting.
To be in the market for a robotic technician job installing the machinery for tradesman's wages you will need an advanced diploma ie another 12 months study.
Obsolete? yep thats me.
My opinion of the robotix industry? it sux.
The biggest problem is that, since we have become a more industrial and urban society, many of the jobs that attracted farm workers displaced by mechanization to the city have since been eliminated by automation, or by a combination of automation and outsourcing.
The concept of easy training and open source apps (hopefully) are the way to go, but the device itself needs to be seen to have untold capabilities ready to go.
The cute eyes and rotating screen say, 'Me Toy'.