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At the
technology's core, says robotics professor Howie Choset, are
modules which connect to each other, allowing researchers to
easily assemble and program task-specific robots in minutes.
"These modules that we have designed and other modules to be
designed, they are like a smart Lego set. We are able to put the
modules together as easy as Lego, but there is a lot going on
underneath the hood to allow that to happen," Choset said.
Each module has the computing power to control the entire robot.
The pieces can be screwed together to form machines of various
sizes and functionality. Once connected the modules communicate
via ethernet.
Choset says robots that can be easily assembled could
potentially have a huge impact on how search and rescue
operations are carried out in the future. He imagines a snake
monster robot walking over rubble in a disaster zone, using its
wheels to roll down a hill and then one of its legs to slither
into a damaged building to search for survivors.
While the ultimate goal is to program these machines to work
autonomously, Choset says humans will be able to control them
using a robotic twin which will give an operator a 'hands on'
interface to control the robot remotely. "We built a force
feedback master slave arm where the master controls one robot
and the slave moves as the master requires," Choset said, adding
that the tasks these types of robots can perform are only
limited to what developers can dream up to task them with. The
Snake Monster can take a beating as well.
"That robot is field deployable. You can take that robot and
throw it around, it's robust. You can kick it and it is still
going to work," said Choset.
To test how quickly these modular robots can be assembled and
programmed, one member of the team built and programmed one to
feed him lunch. The entire process took less than 20 minutes, a
delicious result for a robot with massive potential.
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