Super Robots - Able To Dribble A Ball Faster Than The Human Eye Can See?
Forget about movies such as 'Terminator' - today the robotic technology involved surpasses even the technology featured in those types of movies - in some ways.
If you have ever found yourself wondering just how powerful and exact modern day robotics have become, then this might shock you a little.
To give you an example - imagine a robotic arm, dribbling a ball almost faster than the human eye can see. Or how about throwing and catching an object with such precision and dexterity that you would be forgiven for thinking that it's only science fiction. Well, it is science fiction no more. It's reality.
In all honesty, this kind of technology is mind boggling to say the least. True, we have all seen robotic arms perform their functions in places such as motor vehicle factories and during other industrial manufacturing processes, but this is quite different. Usually the robots in these factories are programmed to perform a specific task over and over - which makes it possible to execute a high number of repetitions in a very short period of time. This speeds up the manufacturing process significantly, because the robot is able to repeat the same action over and over with a high level of precision. But as mentioned, these robots can usually only perform a series of pre-programmed tasks.
Now imagine new technology that enables the robot to visually perceive its surroundings, and then react to what it perceives. This is now a reality.
Using a series of visual and tactile sensors, the folks at Ishikawa Komuro laboratory at the University of Tokyo have been able to demonstrate just what they can teach some of these new robots to do. And it is absolutely amazing. Some of the actions require the robot to act upon visual and sensory input, which means these calculations are done in thousands of a second. One of the actions shows the robot holding a cell phone, and then throwing it into the air. That's the easy part.
What follows is a demonstration that no other generation before us has ever seen. After throwing the spinning cell phone into the air, the robot manages to catch it with remarkable precision. Only when you see it being done, can you realize how fast the sensory input is relayed and converted into an actionable movement by the robot. It seems as if the robot's visual sensor may actually be faster than the human eye.
The only way to describe this kind of feat, is to imagine playing a game that requires a fair amount of dexterity - such as tennis for example. Now imagine playing tennis against one of these robots - only the robot cannot lose because its sensory inputs are so powerful that it does not seem to make a mistake, no matter how fast the ball comes at it. Oh, and it does not get tired... Amazing stuff...
For more info visit: Ishikawa Komuro laboratory
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