Bossy assembly robot says you're doing it wrong

Industrial robots are big, stupid, and dangerous. Walk between an automated welder and the SUV it's assembling and you'll find yourself fused to the frame, destined to sit unwanted at the back corner of some dealer's lot. But, keeping bots and humans separated on an assembly line isn't always practical. Enter ARoS, a machine that's not only capable of working safely with people, but being totally condescending while doing it! In a demonstration video it repeatedly tells its hapless helper how incompetent he is, then, after putting on one lousy nut itself, says "I enjoyed your help!" We figure he says that to all the meat-bags, but you can see and decide for yourself after the break.

[Via Digg]

[Muhammed @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:41AM]

Rofl!
This article and the one about intel predicting that robots will invade our life in 2050 just made my day.

[From My Cube @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:45AM]

and that fact that this robot will join the UAW and make more then myself with a college degree

[GatgetMan @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:49PM]

First the robot hands you a nut... next thing you know he'll give you a screw...

[)law( @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:46AM]

I deem it fail bot, deemer of wether you fail or not

[Harkonian @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:41PM]

Speaking of fail...am I the only one surprised at how simplistic interactions with robots like these still are? On the human side, he needs to slowly move his hand toward the bolt so the robot notices it, then slowly pick it up so the robot can track it. On the robot side, it needs to carefully and slowly pick up the bolt (which it almost drops), rotate its arm nearly 360˚ to a position that was 6" from its starting point, and still it needs human assistance to move the structure slightly so it doesn't miss the peg.

Can this not be done in anything resembling real-world interactions yet?

[Dinsdale Pirahna @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:48AM]

I for one welcome our condescending robot overlords.

[Ignatius @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:53AM]

Better condescending than annihilating.

[Mike10010100 @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:15PM]

Wow. It'll be the slowest annihilation ever. It'll take a half hour for it to rip out your heart, grip the aorta slowly, then rotate 180 degrees.

[Elora HRanma @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:35PM]

Yep, the slowest one, and themost hurting... I'd rather have my heart ripped out with a... WITH A SPOON!

[bh @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:44PM]

Why a spoon, cousin?

[BigD145 @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:04PM]

Dey tuk er jerbs!

[konshuss @ Aug 22nd 2008 3:02PM]

what was so condescending about that? everything the robot said had logic and reasoning behind it, it wasn't glib or superfluous.

[JR @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:51AM]

Aww, if you're going to make a bossy robot, teach it the difference between a nut and a bolt. Please. How can we ever respect and fear uneducated overlords?

[Chris @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:20AM]

Shhh! You numbskull! He'll hear you.

[steveo @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:35AM]

You don't fear the world's political leaders?

[Bad Beaver @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:52AM]

I love how he nods to the machine at the end.

[Hochler @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:53AM]

HK47 would be proud.

[FourthNail @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:48AM]

Yeah, but I doubt this guy drops good loot.

[JMMGoalster @ Aug 22nd 2008 12:56PM]

KoTR reference ftw

[stabbim @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:19PM]

Haha, I was wondering if anyone caught that. Brilliant.

[Michael Writhe @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:53AM]

this is the begining of the end... we must accept the new masters or perish!

[dukemang @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:38AM]

Ah, you are trying to paraphrase a clever cliché . We already have one in our workspace.

[Abhishek @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:57AM]

The Bender prototype.

[Ac14 @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:59AM]

is it just me or is that robot much MUCH slower then real assembly line robots... at that rate it would be faster and cheaper just to pay a human to do it.

[Andrew @ Aug 22nd 2008 4:11PM]

You think maybe the point of this demonstration had NOTHING to do with speed? It was all about understanding concepts and interaction. They can always add a quicker hand, the software was the really interesting part here.

[GTMac @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:19AM]

"The future is quite different to the present what with there being no stairs and all."

[Jurgen @ Aug 22nd 2008 6:48PM]

Why can't people grasp the idea of a proof of concept?
It doesn't matter if the robot is slow, or complaining more than actually assembling, the video is an illustration of how something like this could work.
The fact that it says University of Minho should be a dead giveaway..

[Jason @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:30AM]

I for one welcome the robot overlord jokes to follow.

[lol @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:31AM]

What the hell...why did the arm rotate like 270 degrees clockwise to put the nut on? Does the arm only rotate clockwise?

"Oh. You have already placed the bolt for me, before I could reach it. That was not nice. Commence punishment." *taser fires*

[WarMouse @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:40AM]

Good God. He says, "Ah! You want to give me a wheel," expressing shock and surprise at the human's incorrect choice. If he can express surprise, what emotions are next...


...love?

[Strange Quark Star @ Aug 22nd 2008 12:41PM]

Contempt for the inefficient/stupid meatbags.

[Adam @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:50AM]

The robot is pissed off because the designers have it wearing a scarf... Robots don't like scarfs, they prefer a nice fitted suit and tie.

[Farris @ Aug 22nd 2008 3:42PM]

"a nice fitted suit and tie..."

...OF FLESH!

[Strange Quark Star @ Aug 22nd 2008 12:38PM]

Why is the overl-...erm robot wearing a tie/scarf?

[Andrew @ Aug 22nd 2008 4:10PM]

Because it's a European robot it has style! :D

[James @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:03PM]

rofl it would take forever to make a car with that thing!!!

[Rocko @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:05PM]

I believe the correct term for humans in the future is Meat Popsicle.

[Antipodeanist @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:26PM]

First glance at the picture made me think the robot was in the break room eating a donut...

[B3astofthe3ast @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:08PM]

What happens when it becomes self aware and tells you your doing it right when your doing it wrong?

[phanbouy @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:54PM]

typically grammar lessons come at that point

[B3astofthe3ast @ Aug 22nd 2008 5:18PM]

Are those before or after the punctuation and capitalization lessons?

[Strange Quark Star @ Aug 22nd 2008 6:32PM]

Hmm... nobody has mentioned yet the other video, in which the robot *actually helps* the human.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qH2DwWAWnc

[marty.com.au @ Aug 22nd 2008 6:39PM]

I like the way the guy subtly pulls the 'cart' thing back a tad so the robot hand doesn’t get caught.

Hmmmm Ai or Staged?

... I think STAGED!!!!

[LarryLarryLarry @ Aug 25th 2008 7:00AM]

I was totally expecting some sass from the robot. There was none. The filim is interesting. The Engadget write-up is hilarious because it totally manufactures facts which are completely false. Why can't you just write what happened, instead of making up something that didn't happen?

[GRASDUM @ Sep 16th 2008 12:56PM]

Our lab is open to all that would like to see live demos, and ongoing work, with this Robot.
Thank you for the comments and kind regards to you all
GRASDUM/University of Minho