Communications of the ACM
Co-Robots Team Up With Humans
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are working to develop robots that can work with humans.
Credit: Rob Felt
Henry Evans suffered a stroke 10 years ago that left him with limited mobility, but Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) researchers are working to develop a robot that will help him shave, adjust a blanket when he is cold, and scratch an annoying itch.
However, it is still unusual for robots to work directly with people. Most robots today can be found in manufacturing facilities, but are not near humans for safety reasons.
The Georgia Tech researchers believe people and robots will be able to accomplish much more by working together, as long as robots have common sense. For example, robots will need to know how much force humans apply when shaving.
"A major challenge for health care robots is that they lack so much of the knowledge and experience that people take for granted," says Georgia Tech professor Charlie Kemp. He notes common sense is just one milestone that will need to be met on the path to co-robotics. The researchers say there are numerous benefits of co-robotics, and to produce better products more efficiently manufacturing robots will need to work with humans.
Meanwhile, in defense and homeland security, robots increasingly will have to perform hazardous jobs that leverage people's skills while keeping them safe.
From Georgia Tech News Center
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