{"344131":{"#nid":"344131","#data":{"type":"news","title":"From Science Fiction to Reality: Personal Robots Emerge to Improve Quality of Life at Work, Home and School","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWritten by Jane Sanders\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s 6 a.m., and the Clarks awake to fresh coffee served to them by Millie, one of the family\u2019s personal robots. As they get ready for work, Millie makes the bed, and their robotic dog Mickey gently reminds Mr. Clark to take his medicine.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce at work, Mrs. Clark, a hospital nurse, assigns a personal robot to deliver blood samples to the lab while she talks with a patient. Meanwhile, Mr. Clark catches the morning news while his autonomous car navigates the traffic into the city.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt day\u2019s end, the family returns to a spotlessly clean home courtesy of Millie\u2019s untiring work. The Clark children do math homework with tutoring from Margie, another robot. After a dinner the Clarks prepared based on a menu suggested by Millie, the family enjoys the rest of the evening free from chores. They sleep soundly knowing that Mickey is always alert to any trouble.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis scenario is not a page from a lost \u201cJetsons\u201dscript. It\u2019s likely to be a normal day in the life of a family in as few as 20 years from now, according to robotics experts at the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlready, the global market for personal robots is growing 400 percent a year, says Professor Henrik Christensen, director of the newly formed Robotics and Intelligent Machines Center in the Georgia Tech College of Computing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPersonal robots are becoming more popular as people want to do more and more with their lives,\u201d Christensen says. \u201cTechnology is making it possible\u2026We live stressful lives now, and we can use technology to take away the boring parts of everyday life.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERobots are not novel technology in industry, the military and even space exploration. But a new generation of intelligent machines called personal robots \u2014 ones that work with and directly for humans, especially in the home, workplace and school \u2014 have begun to emerge only recently. A confluence of smart materials, low-cost, high-speed computing power, better batteries and knowledge of how humans interact with machines is creating an explosion in the market for personal robots, researchers say.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTo have a personal robot that does things you need, you have to have onboard processing, perception, motion and power,\u201dsays roboticist Tucker Balch, an associate professor in the College of Computing.\u201cUntil two or three years ago, you couldn\u2019t put all of that on one small, light platform. Motors and computers take a lot of energy, and the batteries we had couldn\u2019t do the job.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNow, demand for better cell phone and laptop batteries is driving improvements,\u201d Balch adds. \u201cUntil recently, you couldn\u2019t get enough processing power without drawing lots of electricity. Also, robots on the market now have addressed the high power requirements of motors. Finally, we have all the technologies that can support a consumer robot that is not too expensive.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBalch predicts that truly useful, multi-function personal robots will cost between $1,000 and $1,500. Single-purpose robots, such as the Roomba vacuum cleaner already on the market, cost between $150 and $300.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile some personal robots are already available, important research is under way to address the remaining technical and societal challenges. Georgia Tech researchers in computer science, engineering, psychology and the liberal arts are collaborating under the umbrella of the new Robotics and Intelligent Machines Center that Christensen directs. That cooperation is vital to creating the best-designed personal robots.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you just have computer scientists designing robots, you\u2019re not going to build a robot that\u2019s as good as one that could be built by computer scientists and mechanical engineers working together,\u201d Christensen says. \u201cWe are leveraging Georgia Tech\u2019s world-class expertise in all of these domains and want to make something that no one else in the United States is doing today.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe center\u2019s research agenda draws upon Georgia Tech\u2019s long tradition of robotics study, as well as findings from an ongoing analysis of 40 Georgia companies. Christensen and Professor Steven Danyluk, who heads Georgia Tech\u2019s Manufacturing Research Center, are identifying the problems preventing companies from integrating robots into their operations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESolving industry and workplace problems \u2014 such as robotic robustness and perception \u2014 will lead to better robots in the home and school, researchers say.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn our lifetimes, we will have a Rosie (of \u2018Jetsons\u2019 fame), the ultimate home assistant,\u201dChristensen says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETechnical Challenges\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore personal robots become part of daily life, improvements are needed in personal robot software, robustness, materials, component integration, power and human-machine interaction, researchers say.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTwo key chunks of missing technology are perception and reliability, and research is focusing deeply on these issues,\u201d Balch says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerception involves the processing of information from a robot\u2019s sensors so the robot understands the outside world \u2014 at least enough to know what it should be doing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRobots need to be able to interpret their world,\u201d Christensen explains. \u201cIf they go in a new environment, they need to be able to recognize, for example, a chair even though it\u2019s a different chair from one they\u2019ve seen before.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom a reliability standpoint, the robot needs to be able to realize when it\u2019s stuck and call for help. \u201cEven better would be that it not get stuck or that it can get itself unstuck,\u201d Balch says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPersonal robots must be robust, able to function 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in a variety of environments. Their industrial counterparts already are being asked to work in an array of environments, including temperature extremes ranging from freezing to 100 degrees or more. Emerging industrial application areas, including poultry processing, require units to work 16 hours a day and also endure a daily cleanup process that employs high-pressure\u003Cbr \/\u003Ewater and caustic chemicals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDesigning a robot to survive in this environment is difficult,\u201d says Gary McMurray, a senior research engineer in the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). \u201cYou have to protect the electronics and sensors, so material selection is important. We\u2019ll have to move away from lubricant use for robot joints, and we\u2019ll need the right types of motors and drive systems.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaterials used to build robots must not only protect components, but also protect the humans that interact with the machines. That requires the development of flexible materials, Christensen says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, robotic arms need to be as flexible as the human arm, which won\u2019t break easily, yet as stiff as the human arm when it lifts and pushes, he explains. An example is a lightweight robot that naturally yields when pushed upon; it is based upon Georgia Tech research and manufactured by the Atlanta company CAMotion Inc.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother technical challenge is the integration of various products into one robotic system. Microsoft is attempting to address this problem with its new Robotics Studio operating system, though it will face competition from other companies vying to create the robotics operating system of choice, Christensen says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBalch predicts that a standard operating system will accelerate robotics development like IBM\u2019s PC did in the early 1980s. \u201cMicrosoft is now helping define a standard that\u2019s not been there, and I think that companies waiting to enter the robotics marketplace now will enter it,\u201d Balch says. \u201cCombined with the hardware that\u2019s available, this will be the last domino to fall.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf component integration is the final piece of the puzzle, issues of robot power and human interaction must be addressed first. Better batteries might allow robots to operate untethered for long periods of time, says robotics expert Wayne Book, a Georgia Tech professor of mechanical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut current batteries are way below the necessary levels of operation. Alternatives are being studied in the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power funded by the National Science Foundation. In building a robot called the Compact Rescue Crawler, Book and his colleagues at Vanderbilt University are addressing the power issue by using energy generated by chemical fluids called monopropellants, such as hydrogen peroxide.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn human-robot interaction, hurdles remain in ease-of-use and communication. Balch likens the goal for personal robot ease-of-use to the simplicity of the TiVo digital video recorder interface. \u201cIt is a technology that you can give to a 70-year-old and not have to worry about helping her with it,\u201d Balch says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor humans to effectively communicate with personal robots, the machines need to be able to understand spoken language and gestures, Christensen says. For now, those capabilities are limited.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe big question is, \u2018How can people tell a robot what they want it to do?\u2019\u201d Balch says. \u201cPeople need to be able to show their robot how to do something. Researchers have lots of ideas on how to do this, but the problem is not solved yet.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne researcher in GTRI is seeking insight by focusing on opportunistic human-robotic interactions that will enable people to work with robots, rather than commanding them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearcher Lora Weiss is analyzing both social and mathematical networks to understand the dynamics of robot-to-robot and robot-to-human interactions. She is studying these relationships via software and assessing the larger network of dynamic interaction. Her goal is to mathematically capture how humans behave toward machines from a systems perspective.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWithin software, you can provide some intelligent automation to the bots, and then have a system of real people interacting with the machines,\u201d Weiss says. \u201cThe software approach allows one to rapidly populate scenarios with disparate entities and evaluate the emerging and evolving behaviors of the larger system.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESocial Acceptance\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERobots running amok has often been a theme of science fiction. \u201cOne of our biggest enemies is Hollywood,\u201d Christensen says. \u201cThe view of robots that Hollywood projects is almost always negative.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EChristensen believes the public\u2019s concern about robots running amok is unrealistic because technology developers place so much emphasis on safety.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have to overcome misconceptions about robots,\u201d Christensen says. \u201cWe cannot afford one failure\u2026.We need to make robots that are cute and fun and interact socially with people, but actually help them in their everyday lives.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the workplace, for example, Book says convincing people that a lightweight robot can work safely hand in hand with humans, while also being durable and effective, is a more significant challenge than the technical issues.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOnce we can overcome the perception that lightweight robots are flimsy, then every industry will be happy to save money by using these robots,\u201d Book says. \u201cWhen industry starts to accept that lightweight robots can do the job, the perception problem will become a non-issue.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo build robots that people will accept and even like, researchers draw upon studies in psychology and human-computer interaction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere is a general hypothesis that robots similar in appearance to what is familiar to us will ease acceptance,\u201d Balch notes. \u201cIf you see a robot that looks and acts like a puppy, you\u2019re going to treat it as somewhat of a subordinate, but gently. You will guide it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the other end of the spectrum, there are human-looking robots. \u201cYou then expect it can do things like a person, and you\u2019re less patient with it,\u201d Balch says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat raises the question of whether robots should look like humans. \u201cThe more a robot looks like a person \u2014 it\u2019s called the uncanny valley theory \u2014 the creepier it seems to humans,\u201d Balch explains. \u201cIf you could design a robot that truly looks like a person, people might accept it, but if it\u2019s off target, it\u2019s creepy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat the Future Holds\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EChallenges remain for researchers and society in assimilating personal robots into everyday life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOpportunities exist for business, industry, schools and our lives at home. Also, questions of ethics arise, and people are likely to wrestle with these issues.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor business and industry, robots are another technology that helps countries compete in the global marketplace, says Craig Wyvill, chief of GTRI\u2019s Food Processing Technology Division. \u201cWhile industrial robotic technology continues to evolve, it is already demonstrating it can increase product quality and help companies establish themselves as leaders in their fields,\u201d he explains. \u201cIn the process, the workforce must change to support the technology. These changes are essential to staying competitive.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn schools, personal robots are expected to capture the attention of a new generation of computer scientists and engineers by \u201cembedding learning in an interesting physical thing that moves around,\u201d Balch says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHome may become an easier and more pleasant place to live with personal robots that \u201ctake away the boring parts of life,\u201d Christensen says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs robots become more commonplace in people\u2019s lives, society must address the ethical questions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cResearchers must involve many others \u2014 such as philosophers and priests \u2014 to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between humans and machines,\u201d Christensen says. \u201cIf we just address these issues as computer scientists and engineers, we may come up with robots that look like what Hollywood creates.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Robots are not novel technology in industry, the military and even space exploration. But a new generation of intelligent machines called personal robots \u2014 ones that work with and directly for humans, especially in the home, workplace and school \u2014 ha"}],"uid":"28152","created_gmt":"2014-11-10 15:46:20","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:30","author":"Claire Labanz","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2007-04-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2007-04-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"344071":{"id":"344071","type":"image","title":"Research Horizons - SciFi to Reality -  personal robot","body":null,"created":"1449245654","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:14:14","changed":"1475895066","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:06","alt":"Research Horizons - SciFi to Reality -  personal robot","file":{"fid":"200880","name":"science_fiction_1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/science_fiction_1_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/science_fiction_1_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1888261,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/science_fiction_1_0.jpg?itok=fWu3bY4o"}},"344091":{"id":"344091","type":"image","title":"research Horizons - SciFi to Reality -  probotic arm","body":null,"created":"1449245654","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:14:14","changed":"1475895066","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:06","alt":"research Horizons - SciFi to Reality -  probotic arm","file":{"fid":"200882","name":"science_fiction_2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/science_fiction_2_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/science_fiction_2_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2931602,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/science_fiction_2_0.jpg?itok=dQ57zdOd"}},"344101":{"id":"344101","type":"image","title":"research Horizons - SciFi to Reality -  food processing","body":null,"created":"1449245654","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:14:14","changed":"1475895066","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:06","alt":"research Horizons - SciFi to Reality -  food processing","file":{"fid":"200883","name":"science_fiction_3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/science_fiction_3_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/science_fiction_3_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1479915,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/science_fiction_3_0.jpg?itok=OHkZu_pv"}},"344111":{"id":"344111","type":"image","title":"research Horizons - SciFi to Reality -  Wayne Book","body":null,"created":"1449245654","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:14:14","changed":"1475895066","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:06","alt":"research Horizons - SciFi to Reality -  Wayne Book","file":{"fid":"200884","name":"science_fiction_4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/science_fiction_4_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/science_fiction_4_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2117893,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/science_fiction_4_0.jpg?itok=rggQreQs"}}},"media_ids":["344071","344091","344101","344111"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"42941","name":"Art Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"109261","name":"Winter\/Spring 2007 Issue"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0181\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBrett Israel\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-385-1933\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebrett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}