Daily Archives: February 17, 2017

I have no idea what my Roomba is doing most of the time when it runs. Its vacuuming, I know that, but sometimes it just sits there for a little bit, or slowly swivels back and forth, or does something else that doesnt seem (strictly speaking) vacuuming related.This isnt as much of a problem for Roombas specifically, but for robotics in general, it can be: If robots are badat communicating whats going on with them, itll be harder for people to accept them in our daily lives.

One thing that lets humansinstantly grasp the abstract internal state of other humans is we look at each others faces. Now, as you can imagine,giving robots human faces can lead to other problems. The good news is were also hardwired to perform this intuitive abstract internal state reading trick on some other expressive living things, like dogs: When we look at a dogs tail, we get an indication of whether its happy or not. It turns out that we can do the same for robots, as long as you can give them a tail.

A few years ago, University of Manitoba undergraduate student Ashish Singh and professor James E. Young decided to investigate whether people could accurately interpret the feelings of a Roomba with an actuated, fluffy tail that it could wag like a dog. The Roomba doesnt have feelings, of course, but acting happy could mean that all systems are okay, while sad could communicate a problem andtired could mean a low battery state. In results published in 2013, they found out that it works:

Plus, your floor gets an extra dusting!

The useful component of emotional interfaces is in how easily, and quickly, people can interpret them,Young told us.As social beings, we are very experienced at quickly reading emotional states, which provide us coarse-grained insight into the state of others. And while he said theyinitially considered many alternatives, a dog-like tail seemed to be a nice, clear choiceeven people without dogs or cats may be able to read some tail motions, so we decided to formally investigate that.

Young added that one of the goals of the project was exploring the notion ofperipheral awareness.With a dog tail that projects a robots state, you could be preparing dinner and just see the robot going by from the corner of your eye, he said. That would let you quickly know how the robot is doing, whereas a screen would probably requiretraining to understandand sound would be intrusive.

When they started, the researchers werent sure how readily people would be able to read emotions from a robot with a tail, and it wasnt clear how consistent this would be across a diverse group of people (if at all).Results of the study showed that people have no trouble reliably reading emotional states from a robotic tail. The researchers checked to see whether study participants had pets of their own, and it turned out not to make a difference at all: Whether or not you are (or ever have been) a dog owner, you can still understand what different kinds of tail wagging mean.

The results were so consistent, in fact, that the researchers were able to create a set of design guidelines that formally map out exactly what tail motions youd use to communicate. Want your robot to express disdain? Thats a continuous vertical wag at medium speed. Want it to seemed overwhelmed? Trysome high speed circular wagging.From awed to modest to joyful to astonished, there are specific tail motions that a robot can use to communicate.Any current robot that works with people, including factory transport robots, emerging domestic robots, even collocated utility robots such as the PackBot, could benefit from this,Young said.

After the tailed Roombaproject,Youngs group haslooked at how a tail might work on a humanoid robot, and it has also done more in-depth experiments with different varieties of robot communication, like how drones can alter their motion paths to show that theyre tired or excited. All of this research is available at the labs website linked below, along with guidelines for expression using a tail, just in case youre ready to add one to your robot.

[ A Dog Tail for Robots ] via [ University of Manitoba HCI Lab ]

Special thanks to@grok_ and @Straithe!

IEEE Spectrum's award-winning robotics blog, featuring news, articles, and videos on robots, humanoids, drones, automation, artificial intelligence, and more. Contact us:e.guizzo@ieee.org

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Link:

Wagging Tails Help Robots Communicate With Humans - IEEE Spectrum

Updated / Thursday, 16 Feb 2017 16:03

RoboThespian, a life-size humanoid robot designed by Engineered Arts LTD, spoke about the future of robots at day two of Dublins Tech Summit.

The multilingual, interactive robot is designed to communicate in real time conversations with humans and was interviewed live for the first time at the summit today.

Joined on stage by Emmy Winning Veteran, CNN Anchor, Gina London , QuantumX & Bull in a China Shop Co- founder, Ben Jones and EMEA Lead at Cloud Native Apps and DevOps, Ed Hoppitt, RoboThespian, who was also referred to as George, said that the biggest question about technology is how we are going to function as a society and what do we choose for our future?"

Robots do whatever they are told to do. They dont ask questions and dont have conscious and the scary thing is not what the robot can do but what the human makes them do, he said.

He added that Star Wars is a very accurate vision of the future it looks at the way the shape might be and how they (robots) might function.

Addressing the question from anchor Gina London about how robotics will affect humans in society, Ben Jones said that the assistance of robots is going to be huge.

It is going to take away some of the functional things maybe going to support me when I am older. but most importantly it is going to allow humans to be humans, he said.

From my point of view it is hard being the human in this world, it is tiring, and the assistance of robots will help to make being a human easier.

"The best way to approach the integration of robotics into our everyday lives is to embrace it and just use them where they make sense, said Ed Hoppitt.

if they could just fix the unexpected item in the bagging area for me that would be a massive step forward in robotics, he added.

While robotics is really 20-30 years away, according to Jones, RoboThespian said that we have to now make wise decisions going forward and we need to stop and think.

We also have to get people in government land to really take this serious so we are not caught short when some country thinks of these robots for military, said Gina London.

Robots are going to rule the world but we are the humans, we are the emotion and we have got to hold onto that. she said.

By Lauren Ennis

Fabian Bolin: 'Writing about cancer made the process a lot easier

Go here to read the rest:

What has Robotics got in store for our future? - RTE.ie

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Team members make adjustments to their robot before the FTC FIRST Robotics state championship games which begin later this month.(Photo: Jessica Presinzano/NorthJersey.com)

WAYNE - Waynes robotics team will head to state championships in a few short weekswith their homemade robot ready to brave the vortex.

Each year the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition sports a different game for which students must design and build a custom robot in order to play. This years game, called velocity vortex tasks robots with pushing and tossing wiffle-like balls into goals for points on a 12-foot playing field. Robots must also activate beacons lining the field and can cap the rotating vortex with a large ball for a point bonus.

Last years game, Waynes first year of participation, also saw the teens to state championships, which is followed by a world championship. Last year amalfunction in their robot resulted in heartache for the team, but this year theyve resolved to make careful adjustments and perfect their robot with more time to spare.

"We're pretty confident," said Riya Patel.

The majority of the 10-person team are from Wayne Hills High School, however the team also includes a student from Wayne Valley High School, and two eighth graders from district middle schools.

Their mantra is use what weve learned in school, according to Sunny Patel, one of the teams captains.

CHS robotics alum's first bridge mentors students

Kinnelon robotics team looks to repeat last year's win

Team members counted courses in physics, math as well as auto CAD which help inform their robot design. Coach Robert Yost, Wayne Hills applied technology teacher previously served as a FIRST judge before beginning his own team in Wayne

In the back room of the workshop, senior Isabella Moran demonstrated how an idea can quickly become a prototype with the help of a laser cutter. Moran, a future engineer who also volunteers in the James Fallon Elementary School Lego Robotics program, said she often makes custom orders of keychains and other items for students on wood, acrylic and other materials using the machine.

Matt Riina, a junior, said the teams use of the program Solid Works allows them to draft and quickly 3D print or laser cut design parts to prototype, while CAD lets students test weight and force thresholds on designed pieces. Students can even simulate their robot on a virtual FIRST playing field, said Riina.

The new technology in the classroom helps students turn out a prototype in a day, saving precious time, added robotics mentor and parent, Dax Patel.

These kids are incredible. They're our future; there's no question about it.

However, programming is equally important.

During the competition, the game will begin with a two-minute period where robot alliances will work off pre-programmed instructions, or move autonomously. During the final 30 seconds, teams can take direct control.

The Patriotsrobot is loaded with sensors, said Marlin Kalutota, including those which detect color, to check which beacons need to be switched, and range sensors for more accurate shooting and movement.

This year, the teams design has earned them four awards in local competitions, including best autonomous operation. The team was also presented certificates of commendation from Mayor Chris Vergano for their efforts in robotics as they head to the next stage of the competition.

"These kids are incredible. They're our future; there's no question about it," said Vergano.

However, there are still challenges ahead. Team members cited improving the steadiness of the robots extendable arm and improving the capacity and accuracy of its ball shooter as areas for improvement the team is focusing on in their last week-and-a-half of development before the team must box their robot for state competitions.

On average the shooter is fairly accurate, however 20 to 30 percent of the time it doesnt work out like that, said Sunny Patel.

When not preparing their own robot, students are performing outreach. The students recently toured district elementary schools to spread awareness of robotics and challenge the students to innovate to solve a problem and even penned a letter to the White House.

Email: presinzanoj@northjersey.com

Read or Share this story: http://northjersy.news/2ld0Dq7

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Wayne robotics team bound for state championships - NorthJersey.com

Jefferson County High School hosted a day-long tournament in its gym last Saturday without any display of jump shots or slam dunks. It was the VEX Robotics Competition where robots had all the special moves.

Two enthusiastic JCHS design teams put their robots skills against those of other regional competitors. One team received two important awards the sportsmanship award and the build award.

At first glance, the audience sees the robots perform assigned tasks and they cheer for their team, explained head judge and retired engineer Rich Miller. Theres a lot more to judging than that. Teams are judged for their documentation of design plans, interview skills, and project management. All the judges and team members turn in their vote for the sportsmanship award.

Miller lives in the Nashville area and travels all over East Tennessee for tournaments because robotics competitions becoming more popular. He decided to attend the JCHS event since it is the first time for the school to host a tournament, and they have only been involved in competitions for less than one year. He wants to encourage the budding engineers from the start.

We only know a few weeks before the competition what the game goals will be, said JCHS sophomore and team member Kelsie Adams. We had to put more rubber bands on our robot to get it to lift things, but it will be fine now.

The VEX Robotics Competitions current game is called Starstruck, and is played on a 12 foot by 12 foot VEX field with a dividing wall in the middle. Two alliances one red and one blue, composed of two teams each compete in matches consisting of a fifteen second autonomous period followed by one minute and forty-five seconds of driver-controlled play.

The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by placing your stars and cubes (like bean bag cushions) in your zones.

This competition was a mixed tournament where middle school and high school teams are included. Miller says that the middle schools are definitely not at a disadvantage and have as good a chance for a win as the high schools. This turned out to be true on Saturday, as Johnson County Middle School received the highest award for excellence.

Some parents from other schools talked about the personal expense for the robots. JCHS covers this expense for their students with grant money.

We get the federal Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education Grant and also receive state funding from organizations such as Tennessee Valley Authority, said Career and Technical Education (CTE) Vice Principal John Cagle. We can spend this money on robots because it is part of our curriculum for engineering.

Alan Reece, the CTE teacher coordinating the event, served as part of the referee team. He teaches digital design, AP computer science, and serves as the student advisor for the Technology Club along with teacher John Williams. He says all the judges, referees, and time keepers are volunteers.

Our teams had fun and it was a great opportunity for networking since we are new at this, said Reece. The students can use their skills to find a variety of jobs as engineers, computer programmers, and robotics designers, to name a few.

Melanie Clark was there to support her son John, and their design team. She said the team started on their robot about two months ago and worked 10-hour days on the Thursday and Friday before the tournament when school was closed due to illness.

Since JCHS was hosting the competition, the teams also had to set up the VEX fields where the robots perform. JCHS owns two fields. Most schools in the state borrow the expensive VEX fields from other schools.

Winners of various categories in the VEX Robotics Competition were:

Excellence award, which includes team (robot) performance, documentation, and interview skills: Johnson County Middle School.

Tournament champions: the best performance of assigned tasks - Cornerstone Academy.

Build and design awards: based on engineering and documentation - Johnson County Middle School.

Judges award: Cornerstone Academy.

Build Award: Jefferson County High School.

Sportsmanship Award: Jefferson County High School.

Read more:

Engineering skills on display at Robotics event - The Standard Banner

The Denfeld Nation Automation team has worked on their creation for the FIRST LEGO robotic compeition for six weeks.

DULUTH, Minn. -The LEGO FIRST robotics competition is coming up in just a few weeks at the DECC and Duluth Denfeld revealed their big star at an open house.

The Denfeld Nation Automation team has worked on their robot for the last six weeks and theyre getting ready to put on the final touches. The team is made up of around thirty five students and they say theyre excited but nervous to start competition.

Its super satisfying but its also super stressful because we know we still want to do more on the robot and we still know that if we had just a little bit more time we could make it that much better, said design lead Matthew Johnston.

The team has named their robot gamma grandpa after one of the teams adult mentors. Students work on all aspects of the robot from wiring to coding to make it run.

See original here:

Denfeld Robotics Team Unveils Robot - FOX 21 Online