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Spot Arm From Boston Dynamics Picks Up Like Heinlein's Hired Girl Robot
Robert Heinlein's 1956 ideas about a hired girl robot has finally taught Boston Dynamics' Spot Arm robot what to do:
Our friends at Boston Dynamics have been working on Spot for quite a while; see my 2015 article for reference Meet Spot, The Electric Quadrupedal, Er, Robot Dog.
Spot is an older dog now; it has a new trick. Watch Spot pick up around the house, just like Heinlein's Hired Girl.
It swept, or mopped, or vacuum-cleaned, or polished, consulting tapes in its idiot memory to decide which. Anything larger than a BB shot it picked up and placed in a tray on its upper surface, for someone brighter to decide whether to keep or throw away.
Act on data insights and perform physical work in people-centric environments.Grasp, lift, carry, place, and drag a variety of items with the arm's 6-degrees of freedom and gripper.
Use the in-gripper LED illuminator and 4K camera to inspect objects and equipment before taking action.
Semi-autonomously turn valves, flip levers, open doors, and manipulate other objects with constrained movement.
Read more about Robert Heinlein's Door into Summer and check out Spot Arm at BostonDynamics.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 2/5/2021)
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