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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:
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.
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.
VIDEO
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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