UMass Mobile Manipulator pushes things around, learns ways of the world
Robots teaching robots? Check. Robots teaching humans? Check. Robots learning things on their own accord? Um, terrifying? All kidding aside, the UMass Mobile Manipulator is one smart cookie. Put simply, this intelligent robot pushes objects around in order to identify how they move, and once that's accomplish, it begins "manipulating them to perform tasks." If this sounds awfully similar to something your infant does, that's because the two are indeed very much related. UMan, as it's so eloquently dubbed, packs its own wheels, battery pack, one-meter arm, three-fingered hand and webcam in order to interact with the world, and sure enough, one researcher even mentioned the potential of it learning to operate a pair of scissors. Great, what's next -- a BFG?
[Via CrunchGear]
[Via CrunchGear]


















EXT... EXTE... EXTER... EXTERMINATE...
Reminds me of Tony Stark's bot buddies in the Ironman film.
I am at UMass Amherst right now. I didn't even know about it lol. I had to go to the linked site to know that it was from the University and not just called UMass by coincidence.
Yeah man, this thing isn't really new. Well I saw a video of it doing it's thing in a basic comp sci intro class at Umass last September.
Anyone else get an Iron Man déjà vu when you see this?
Well everyone knows that rule number 1 clearly states that robots cannot harm human beings
HAHAHA, indeed
Is the bottom made out of a used liquor barrel?
looks like one of the robots from Tony Stark's lab
It's like the next generation of the BumBot! :P
http://gizmodo.com/383911/bumbot-robocop-that-fights-the-homeless
Glad to see my alma mater is good for something other than Red Sox and Pats riots.
"Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem"
Well, I, for one, welcome our ambidextrous robot overl-
*KTHWACK!*
Ah! The hell'd you hit me for?!
Pawn to E7... Not everything can be solved with chess deep blue. Some day you will realize that.
yes, but can it figure out how to handle my..... aawwwww never mind...
"If this sounds awfully similar to something your infant does, that's because the two are indeed very much related." And much like your infant you should keep this thing away from sharp objects, electrical outlets, and any devices with connections to thermonuclear weapons.
Am I the only other person that thinks it resembles a Dalek.....
It's probably what an infant Dalek looks and acts like... Trying to raise that thing to become a killing machine would require some patience, don't you agree?
But willl it learn to love?
Hopefully it is smart enough not to reach down and push it's own emergency shuf off button (you can see the red button below the arm)
*insert another Iron Man reference here*
Looks like it's ready to make some boob-interaction.
This is the kind of research we need to be doing with robots. Too many people trying to master advanced things without actually having the robots learn the ways we do. We weren't able to walk out of the womb, so neither should a robot (hypothetically speaking)
Anybody else frightened at the idea of a robot trying to learn how to use scissors? Or, even scarier, what to use scissors for?
"Robots teaching robots? Check. Robots teaching humans? Check. Robots learning things on their own accord? Um, terrifying? All kidding aside, the UMass Mobile Manipulator is one smart cookie."
This is how I read it, no joke:
"Robots teaching robots? Check. Robots teaching humans? Check. Robots learning things on their own accord? Um, terrifying? All killing aside, the UMass Mobile Manipulator is one smart cookie."
"manipulating them to perform tasks."
Huh. Sounds like someone I know.
...But I'm not bitter!
I wasn't too impressed with this robot... but in general, the advances we are seeing are impressive. Here's an article about robots developing emotional bonding http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=526&doc_id=155718&f_src=flffour
pushing is the answer, humans must be pushed they must go down the stairs.