Say hello to the robot called Bifrost. With the help of AI technology, it uses its tactile capabilities to manipulate soft and pliable objects to order.
"In spite of the impression many of us have from the media, robots still have a long way to go before they can manipulate so-called compliant objects with proficiency," says Norwegian researcher Ekrem Misimi.
Misimi believes that a lot more research is needed before this can be realized.
"This is why we're proud to have developed a method that enables robots to learn to manipulate objects of this kind. This is ground-breaking research offering major innovation potential," he says.
"The technology currently under development may have many applications across a wide range of industries—but first and foremost, in the food sector, where there is no shortage of compliant objects."
The new technology has emerged as part of a project, also called BIFROST, which in Norse mythology refers to a "bridge." However, the inspiration for the method started in the kitchen, and more specifically with the stages involved in preparing a humble cod filet for dinner.
"We're all familiar with this process without really thinking too deeply about it," says Misimi. "But if you give it some thought, you find that you're carrying out a number of different operations on the filet. In the past, robots were unable to perform such tasks, because up until recently they had only been trained to grip objects that were rigid and non-compliant. Moreover, it is challenging to get a robot to carry out new tasks that it hasn't been trained to do," he says.
In the field of AI, robots struggle with what is known as generalization capability—something at which humans are very adept. In order to succeed, the researchers have developed a new approach based on artificial intelligence. They train the robot by getting it to perform tasks similar to those it would have to perform in the real world. Understandably, these tasks do not involve cod filets to begin with.
On the table lies an elongated cloth bag filled with rice, here simulating a cod filet. It lies in the shape of an "I," but in response to a command from the researchers, the robot manipulates it into a "C."
"We have thus succeeded in getting the robot to manipulate a compliant three-dimensional object to order," says Misimi. "On its own, this may not seem very impressive. However, the robot has not previously been trained using this particular shape," he says.
Misimi adds that it is easy for humans to perform tasks for long periods until they finish what they intend to do, but this is much more challenging for a robot.
"A combination of learning and perception is essential if a robot is to complete such manipulative tasks.
"The more complex a task, the longer a robot will take to learn how to complete it," says Misimi. "And the more time it takes, the more demanding it becomes for the robot."
More: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-11-ai-robot-soft-pliable.html
