Communications of the ACM
Robotic Design and Production as Easy as 1-2-3
An insect-like robot printed and designed via the new process being developed by MIT, Harvard, and Pennsylvania could revolutionize the way robots are developed. The insect-like robot could be used for exploring areas inaccessible to humans.
Credit: Jason Dorfman, CSAIL/MIT
Researchers at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania are developing technology that could make it possible for users to design, customize, and print a specialized robot in just a few hours.
"This research envisions a whole new way of thinking about the design and manufacturing of robots, and could have a profound impact on society," says MIT's Daniela Rus.
The researchers want to develop technology that enables anyone to manufacture their own customized robot. The project also "aims to dramatically reduce the development time for a variety of useful robots, opening the doors to potential applications in manufacturing, education, personalized healthcare, and even disaster relief," says Harvard professor Robert Wood. The researchers are developing a platform that enables users to identify a household problem and then customize an easy-to-use robotic device that could solve the problem.
“Our vision is to develop an end-to-end process; specifically, a compiler for building physical machines that starts with a high level of specification of function, and delivers a programmable machine for that function using simple printing processes,” Rus says.
From Harvard University
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