Daily Archives: March 1, 2017

Photo: Cobalt Robotics Cobalt Robotics' security robot uses advanced sensors and AI to navigate autonomously and look for suspicious activity.

Finding a viable business case for a commercial mobile robot is very tricky. At this point, the most you can realistically expect from a reliable and affordable autonomous platform is the ability to navigate in a semi-structured pre-mapped environment, which Savioke (to take one example) has managed to do with its delivery robots for hotels. Despite the fact that robots can do work for businesses, its been difficult to identify use-cases where they can be valuable enough that said businesses will pay money to use them.

Today, Cobalt Robotics (a startup based in Palo Alto, Calif.) is announcing an autonomous mobile robot designed for indoor security applications that can work alongside human guards to provide better security than people can do alone.

The key realization here is that security guards spend the vast majority of their time doing almost nothing, and even in a worst case scenario (like someone trying to break in, or a fire or other serious problem), their primary responsibility is making the right phone call as quickly as possible as opposed to dealing with the situation directly. In general, a security guard needs to be able to walk around a building checking on things, occasionally interact with humans in a limited capacity, and (this is the most important thing) notice if anything unusual is going on and tell someone about it.

Cobalts robot is able to do all of these things. It can navigate around pre-mapped areas in buildings, it can recognize people and read badges, and it has a pile of sensors (day-night cameras, lidar, microphone array, RFID and badge readers, andeven smoke and CO2 detectors) that helps it to recognize potential security issues (unauthorized people, open doors and windows) and hazards (suspicious items, moved items, water leaks) and flag them for review.

Cobalt was founded by Erik Schluntz, a former engineer at SpaceX, and Travis Deyle, whos written for IEEE Spectrum in the past and comes from Georgia Techs Healthcare Robotics Lab by way (most recently) of Google X. TheCobalt teamhas enough background and experience with robots to know that, while autonomy is important, having the option for a human in the loop can solve a lot of problems, so its easy for a remote operator to hop into the robot and control it via telepresence whenever necessary.

We should note that there are other robots in this space alreadynamely, Knightscope, which makes a very imposing security robot. Knightscope is taking a bit of a different approach, with a large and heavy platform that uses minimal HRI elements and is (if that Velodyne on top is any indication) quite expensive. Knightscope can operate outside, which is certainly an advantage, and it seems more likely that it might scare away any baddies, but Cobalt isnt really interested in the scare factorfor Cobalt, its more about detection and then making sure the right people know whats going on in a timely manner, and having a robot that people will be comfortable working around.

Comfort is another key differentiator that Cobalt has been working on. The overall form and appearanceof the robot come from Swiss designer Yves Bhar, who came up with something that (rather refreshingly) incorporates a lot of soft, tactile fabric rather than plastic and metal. We decided that the robot should not adopt a humanoid personality, Bhar said in a statement. Instead, it should aesthetically align with the furniture and dcor of the office environment.

As with any robot intended to do the same kind of job that a human can do, theres a concern here that Cobalts platform will be taking jobs away from humans. And, well, yeah, if you just go and replace a security guard with a Cobalt robot, then thats what happens, and it may make sense for some businesses to do this. However, there are a few other things to consider here. First, Cobalt may be an option for companies who want security but cant afford a human guard, or cant afford one for all hours. Second, Cobalt says that their robots can work sort of like force multipliers, working alongside existing guards to help them be more effective at their jobs. Cobalt will also be creating new jobs for robot monitors, who will be remotely managing multiple robots from a central location.

And lastly, we should keep in mind that security is one of those utterly dull jobs that does not take advantage of the talent or creativity that humans have to offer, and long term, finding jobs for people that are more interesting and engaging is probably better for everyone, if we can make it happen.

For more details on Cobalt, we asked Deyle, the companys CEO, a few questions over email:

Why is indoor security an ideal application for a mobile robot?

One major, traditional function of indoor security is observe and reportlooking for anomalies or intruders, and contacting the authorities if andwhen anything bad happens. Using extremely capable sensors (including night vision cameras, lidar, thermal) combined with recent advances in computer vision and deep learning, robotscan provide super-human capabilities and consistent operation around the clock without getting bored, sleepy, or losing focus. Our robot has eyes on the back of its head, can see in pitch black, and never needs to sleep. And when it finds something, it can skype in a highly-trained pilot to make hard decisions. or talk to anyone in the space.

Mobility affords robots a number of unique benefits. First, robots can reposition themselves to get an infinite number of vantage points, including opportunistically relocating themselves to obtain additional information. This isnt possible with stationary security cameras; to quote one of our customers, No matter how perfect you think your security camera setup is, when something happens you always wish you had a different view or angle.Second, many security policies do not allow guards to put themselves in harms way to confront would-be intruders; mobility allows the robot torespond immediately to a would-be intruder and reduce intruder time-on-premises. A third thing is that a mobile robot roaming the premises serves as an active deterrent to undesired behavior.

Why havent mobile robots been used in indoor security in the past? Or, whats special about Cobalt that youre able to deploy robots in these semi-structured environments?

Its partially about timing. Many of the component technologies (AI, machine learning, sensing, computation, communications, etc.) are now sufficiently mature to make this product feasible. Those components continue to make big gains due to investment in other areas of robotics and AI.

Its also partially about fortuitous encounters between experts in otherwise-disparate fields (robotics and physical security). Theres a famous quote from world-renowned computer scientist Alan Kay that says, A change in perspective is worth 80 IQ points. Cobalt was founded by technologists and roboticists with many years of experience working with indoor robots. We spent a substantial amount of time speaking with forward-looking visionaries in the physical security industry who became our close advisors, initial customers, and biggest champions. While other people may have looked at robot security, we happened to look at it from the right perspective:our customers perspective.

What are some unique challenges that your robotswill have to deal with, and how are you handling them?

Indoor security is about more than deterring and detecting intrudersits also about making employees feel safe and comfortable. We focused heavily on industrial design and human-robot interaction to make our robot as easy to interact with and as pleasant to be around as possible. We use warm materials like fabric and anodized aluminum that would normally be seen in a high end office, rather than the plastic and steel of an industrial robot. The centerpiece of our robot is a touch-screen to let people interact with the robot and video chat with our pilots.

Another challenge was providing consistent security coverage for an entire night shift, or even an entire 48 hour weekend shift. We realized that the robot should never turn off while its rechargingits always on, looking for unusual activity and ready to respond. Its just like a guard standing watch at the front desk between patrols.

Can you describe how Cobalt is mixing autonomy and telepresence by having the option for a human in the loop?

We fundamentally believe that robots should interact with and around people. Cobalt provides a solution that dovetails advanced autonomous functionality with human telepresence capability. So sometimesthe robot will autonomously respondfor example, navigating up to a person and requesting badge credentials. In other situations, the robot will video call with a pilot for human-level cognition and response.

Is the security solution that Cobalt is offering both reliable and cost effective relative to a human? How expensive are the robots, and how much money would a company be saving over employing humans?

Security is necessary, but its often cost prohibitive for companies to provide 24-hour security presence. This is a real problem with real needs and real budgets. Cobalt can provide security coverage where there are currently major gaps at 1/5 to 1/3 the cost of a traditional solution.

Security personnel work with a fleet of robots to provide a more reliable and more cost-effective service. Robots help with the dullest, hardest parts of security (like night shift patrols) without falling asleep, and they will alert the rest of your security staff only if theres something worthy of note. Each robot pilot can oversee tens of robots, which allows guards to cover more ground and have visibility exactly when and where they need it. Plus, all of the sensors and components of the robot are becoming remarkably cheaper thanks to other industries, such as self-driving cars!

Cobalt will be starting pilots very soon, and were very much looking forward to seeing autonomous mobile robots out in the world doing useful things.

[ Cobalt Robotics ]

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

Sign up for the Automaton newsletter and get biweekly updates about robotics, automation, and AI, all delivered directly to your inbox.

In a six-month trial run, this robot made over 1,000 deliveries in busy hotel 30Apr2015

The start-up emerges from stealth mode with an impressive robot 21Oct2013

With long-range RFID tags that cost pennies, mobile robots can perform dirt cheap sensing anywhere you want 14Jul2015

There's a massive, untapped market for robots to be used in commercial spaces such as hotels, offices, and retail stores 1Mar

One of our favorite little legged robots shows off some useful tricks to conquer outdoor terrain 28Feb

Your weekly selection of awesome robot videos 24Feb

Shakey's creators and colleagues share inside stories at the celebration and talk about robotics today 17Feb

Your weekly selection of awesome robot videos 10Feb

One day, robots like these will be scampering up your steps to drop off packages 9Feb

Rodney Brookss startup Rethink Robotics is releasing software to make its robot Sawyer more versatile and easier to program 7Feb

Take a walk, a jog, or a bike ride with 19 kg of stuff autonomously following you 2Feb

Your weekly selection of awesome robot videos 27Jan

R&D lab Draper is using genetic engineering and optoelectronics to build cybernetic insects 25Jan

This factory robot can be trusted not to kill itshumancoworkers 29Dec2016

3DSignals' deep learning AI can detect early sounds of trouble in cars and other machines before they break down 27Dec2016

Exclusive photos take you through the first mission of Stanford's diving robot 21Dec2016

A programmable chip turns a robots long pauses into quick action 19Dec2016

Your weekly selection of awesome robot videos 16Dec2016

Automation allows thousands of possibilities when building weird new organisms 29Nov2016

KAIST's PIBOT can sit in the pilot's seat and fly a regular aicraft just like a human would 15Nov2016

Link:

Cobalt Robotics Introduces a (Mostly) Autonomous Mobile Security ... - IEEE Spectrum

The Klamath Coyotes robotics team will compete in the FTC Western Super-Regional Championship tournament next weekend after winning the Innovate Award for their robot design at the State Championship in Portland last weekend.

The team, made up of nine students from Klamath Union High School and one from Ponderosa Middle School, competed against 48 teams for two days at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland to secure their place, playing five matches and an elimination match, which knocked them out.

I am thrilled for them, co-coach Betsy Neuman said. They are learning so much more than robotics and engineering, including, teamwork, problem solving abilities, stress management and gracious professionalism. They are gracious competitors and thats a great skill they take with them in sports and school.

Story continues below video

The team has been together for five years, starting out as a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League tasked with researching and developing a solution to real-world problems, such as food safety, energy and recycling; and designing, building and programming a robot to compete with others in the same field.

Last season the team moved up to the FIRST Tech Challenge and have competed at various tournaments across the country, including the World Championships in St. Louis, Mo. in 2016. This is the second time the team will attend the Western Super-Regional Championship.

Inside the groups den in downtown Klamath Falls, they came together on Tuesday to discuss some of the robots imperfections that need fixing, ways to make it stronger for the upcoming competition and fundraising methods to cover the competitions admission cost of $500.

Using a homemade replica of the competition ring, students directed the robot, KCHOWL5B, via a wireless internet connection between a smartphone on the robot and two video game controllers connected to another smartphone manned by the team.

The Coyotes are the only team from Southern Oregon and one of 13 teams of around 500 in the state to go to the Western Super-Regional Championship in Tacoma, Wash. on March 10 through March 12, co-coach Mike Neuman said, adding the team has a one-in-three chance of making it to the World Championship for the second year in a row.

Im excited, team member Seth Gebauer said. It was a close call though, we almost didnt make it and state is super competitive.

The team is looking forward to interacting with other teams from various states at the tournament, including, Alaska, Hawaii and California, and said they enjoy seeing familiar faces from previous years and other competitions.

The game is more than robots, Neuman said. Its about connecting with other players and forming relationships.

See the original post here:

Robotics team carves path for success - Herald and News

PHRED hopes to pick up steam through qualifying tournaments this month and make it into Aprils First Robotics Challenge district championship.

The Philomath High Robotics Engineering Division team participated Feb. 18 in the annual FRC scrimmage at Corvallis High School and team members felt it went well.

I'd say that we did better than we do most years since we had a mostly functional robot on the field and everyone who was interested had a chance to drive the robot and act as a human player, sophomore Konoha Tomono-Duval said. We also had a chance to find any problems that might affect us later and we've been fixing those up until bag day.

Bag day occurred this past Wednesday and represents when the team must stop working on the robot and put it in a bag until competition.

For me personally, I had a chance to drive and I spent some time as the drive coach, which is what I'll be doing in the competition, Tomono-Duval said. That means helping the drivers set up, watching the field and talking with our teammates about strategy. I think that the scrimmage went well.

In all, 25 teams from across the Pacific Northwest participated in the opportunity to try out their robots. PHRED Team 847 will compete March 9-11 in Wilsonville at the District 3 qualifier. Two weeks later, the team will head to Clackamas Academy in Oregon City for a qualifying event. This years district championship is scheduled for April 6-8 at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington.

At last years scrimmage, the teams robot wasnt functional until the event had nearly ended.

We were able to do 90 percent of what we need to do for the competition, said sophomore Daniel Arthurs, now in his third year with robotics. We were able to average three gears on the airship while most teams were able to only get one or two.

The PHRED robot didnt perform perfectly, however, with some kinks to work out.

During a few of our matches, the chain powering the front right wheel fell off and in two rounds a gear that we were trying to collect fell into a slot in the robot, Tomono-Duval said. There was also some work we hadn't finished on the autonomous programming.

In the days after the scrimmage, the students got back to work.

We solved the chain problem by moving a motor backwards/sprocket sideways and just added a piece of plastic to stop gears from catching in the robot's front, Tomono-Duval said. The programmers on the team can work on software after bag day, so time isn't much of an issue while they're adding to the code.

Arthurs added, We were not able to do any climbing, but that did work later at the shop, so hopefully that problem has been fixed.

This years FRC game, called Steamworks, is described by FIRST as inviting two adventurers clubs, in an era where steam power reigns, to prepare their airships for a long distance ride. Each three-robot alliance must build steam pressure through the collection of fuel (which are balls), start the rotors and deliver gears to pilots on their airship for installation. Eventually, they prepare for flight with robots latching onto their airship before the end of the match.

Points are scored during the 15-second autonomous period when the robot operates only on pre-programmed instructions. Student drivers take over for the remaining 2:15 of the game, working with teams on the alliance to collect as many points as possible before the end of the match.

Freshman Elliot Foley said in the Steamworks game, the robots have to move a lot faster so it's more difficult to control fine movements and since the robots are bigger, it is harder to be as precise, especially since we are manipulating the gears.

Each team member enjoys robotics for their own reasons. Foley is among those students in his first year.

It has all the good parts that you get from sports without the bad parts, Foley said. Also the robotics team is like a family.

For Tomono-Duval, he likes either working with the rest of the team in the design phase or at competition strategizing with our allies for the match.

Team camaraderie is another attractive benefit for many students.

What I like best is going to the competitions, staying in the hotels and hanging out with friends, Arthurs said. It is a place where you can learn and have fun with what you put all your hard work and effort into.

One common characteristic is the commitment that each team member puts in.

While the season doesn't go for as long as a sports team, there's still the year-round weekly meetings, projects and fundraisers and the longer Saturday meetings, Tomono-Duval said. Plus, there's the time at competitions. Yes, it can get intense at times. But it has the focus and teamwork of a sport, while being a fun mental challenge and project.

And you learn some interesting skills that you can use later in life that aren't in the high school. In the end, it's also just fun, he added.

During build season, students meet five to six days a week with all-day sessions on Saturdays.

There isn't a lot of personal free time during build season, Arthurs said. I do it because I get to learn a lot about robotics including how to wire a robot and code in Java.

Foley is enjoying all aspects of the experience.

Its intense because of the time commitment, Foley said. I am involved because I enjoy the learning experience, team environment and competition.

PHRED also supports a First Tech Challenge team, which has been doing well this season. In fact, team No. 8892 just competed Sunday at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland in the FIRST Tech Challenge Championship.

The Philomath team won three of its matches and placed 10th in the Tech division one of two at the competition. Team 8892 didnt make it to the semifinals.

This is the first year the PHRED FTC team has qualified for the state tournament, so that was a milestone in itself, mentor Tom Thompson said. The team also got one of the autonomous modes working so they were able to score more points during that part of the game. I think we learned a lot from seeing this level of competition that we can apply to the next season.

The FTC robots, which are smaller than their FRC counterparts, features team members that range in age from the seventh to 12th grades. This years competition, Velocity Vortex, involves two teams of two robots trying to score points through various tasks, primarily shooting whiffle balls in the right place.

The hardest single action in the game is raising the cap ball exercise ball up almost 4 feet and placing it in the center vortex, a plastic ring, Tomono-Duval, who is involved with both FRC and FTC, said about the game. For the whole match, it would be efficiently scoring in the center vortex. During the whole season, I think it was making a good autonomous program for when you don't have control of the robot that hit the randomized button accurately. Getting the sensors working was hard.

The FTC team started building its robot this past fall and first competed Jan. 29 in a meet at Oregon State University. The PHRED team came in third qualification, was a team captain of one of the four championship alliances and won the Motivate Award.

Team 8892 advanced to a super-qualifier Feb. 12 at Poynter Middle School in Hillsboro and came in fifth. Due to the second- and third-place teams forming an alliance, PHRED became the captain of the fourth-place championship alliance.

The appearance went well enough for Team 8892 to advance to this past weekends FTC championship in Portland.

Follow this link:

Full steam ahead: Philomath robotics students work hard on challenge - Corvallis Gazette Times

Britain's most successful engineer Sir James Dyson is taking on Google and Facebook with a $2.5bn investment to turn the former RAF base at Hullavington near Malmesbury into a research campus for robotics, AI, and other advanced technology, including batteries and vision systems.

The size of the planned facility dwarfs the existing HQ.

The investment marks both a change of direction for Dyson, which will now begin to challenge US data giants in the race to find practical implementations of AI, and expresses a vote of confidence in a post-EU British economy. The founder recently hinted that it was examining how to incorporate pattern recognition and decision making into its 360 Eye robot vacuum cleaner.

Dyson already employs over 2,000 staff at its existing Malmesbury HQ, where many of its 3,000 engineers are based. Only last year Dyson completed a 250m expansion of the HQ to 56 acres. The company expects to employ an additional 5,000 staff and bring in 4bn of annual revenue by 2020. It currently banks 1.5bn annually. The RAF site covers 517 acres.

Sir James found himself publicly vilified when he backed the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union last year. Dyson argued that Europe's supposedly neutral legal processes were in reality rigged in favour of German manufacturers that produce less efficient products.

How so?

In several ways, it turns out.

Several of Dyson's hallmark products are more energy efficient because they use more power for a shorter period than conventional products on the market, some of which are made by German rivals including Bosch and Siemens. But the EU's energy labelling regulations decree that voltage, not real-life energy consumption, is what matters.

Even Remain supporters, like this commenter on a Times article, applauded Dyson.

Dyson also contended that testing only new, pristine vacuum cleaners also removed one of its key competitive advantages. The General Court of the European Union even agreed that this was daft, but produced a perverse verdict claiming that the European Commission was not at fault since Dyson could not devise an alternative set of tests that were reproducible.

Dyson is appealing against this at the ECJ, arguing (among other things) that it misrepresented his challenge, and failed to give him a chance to present his evidence.

Thirdly, and in a case that echoes the diesel emissions scandal, Dyson discovered that German rivals lower their power consumption when running an EU test, but double their power output in real-life use.

"Bosch has installed control electronics into some of its machines to wrongfully increase energy consumption when in use to cheat the EU energy label," Dyson said in 2015. "Their behaviour is akin to that seen in the Volkswagen scandal."

The RAF acquired the land in 1935 and it performed many training functions until 1995. The site continued to be used as an airfield until last year, but was when it was released by the MoD.

Given Sir James's battles in an industrial landscape dominated by German interests, it isn't hard to see why Britain's leading technology exporter fancies his prospects outside the European Union.

He wants a level playing field. And they don't come much more level than an old airfield.

View original post here:

Dyson backs Britain plc with $2.5bn AI and robotics investment - The Register

More than 120 teams are expected to take part in the competition from Thursday through Saturday at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, with a chance to advance to the world competition to be held in April in St. Louis.

Teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota will be competing in the Duluth regionals, according to a news release from the Duluth East Daredevils robotics team.

FIRST is an acronym of "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." Each year's challenge is unveiled in January, giving teams less than two months to build and refine their robots to complete the designated tasks.

In this year's challenge, called Steamworks, robots must pick up balls and put them into a "boiler." The more balls that go into the boiler, the more "steam" builds in the boiler to power an "airship." Two students will be in the airship, and the robots will need to move gears to the airship, where students will put the gears together to power the ship. In the final part of the competition, the robots will then pull themselves up a rope to board the ship.

Practice rounds at the Duluth regionals will take place starting at noon Thursday, with competition starting at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Final matches will take place from about 1:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday.

The competition is open to the public, and free to all spectators. Find more information at mnfirst.org/frc/duluth-regionals.

Follow this link:

Robotics competition returns to DECC Thursday - Duluth News Tribune

Inside the Depot in downtown Minneapolis Tuesday evening, several dozen young women some with dyed pink hair showed off robots they had built, sometimes using everyday objects.

Their audience was engineering professionals at the Robotics Alley Conference and Expo.

Izzie Mack, a member of girl group the Rubies, used game controllers to drive the groups 18-cubic-inch robot down the aisle of the convention space.

The Rubies and the Ponytail Posse, from St. Paul, were the only lady-centric groups that participated in Tuesdays March of the Robots event at the conference.

Its important to break the stereotype that women are not interested in the engineering field, said Mack, a 10th-grader at Southwest High School.

Girls dont get into science or they think its too nerdy, said Nancy Koshy, a member of Ponytail Posse.

Participating in industry events and seeing robotics at play in everyday life inspire these teens to continue studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The Robotics Alley Conference and Expo, an annual event held in the Twin Cities, was created to spur public and private partnerships in the worlds of robotics and automation.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who greeted conference attendees via video, said that robotics technology will transform the workforce and economy.

The statement resonated as industry professionals spoke about cybersecurity, 3-D printing of the human body, the future of agriculture and self-driving vehicles.

This is so empowering ... this is the future, said Mitra Kian, a ninth-grade student at Southwest High School and member of the Rubies.

Kian and the other girls were adamant about making a career in the STEM fields. They also are excited about the future: What might their careers could look like in 10 or 20 years?

When the Ponytail Posse demonstrated its robot Stacy, one of her creators proudly showed how they had used part of a standard dresser drawer to help their mechanical teammate make up-and-down movements.

Drawer slides as a lift mechanism, she said. Who would have thought to do that?

Excerpt from:

Girls help shatter stereotype at robotics industry expo - Minneapolis Star Tribune