This one can be called a solution
in search of a problem. Looking at it
and one is struck with the thought that this is silly.
Yet a certain capability is been
demonstrated here. It is a new tool and
that often leads to really useful solutions.
So lets us go with it and perhaps there is something here in this that
works. It just will not be furniture.
A rather mobile set of steps does
come to mind though. Strength must be an
issue though.
Comfy or Creepy? Robot Furniture
Rearranges Itself on Demand
By Tanya Lewis, Staff Writer | May 22, 2014
02:15pm ET
Like a scene right out of "The
Jetsons," a fleet of robotic blocks could assemble themselves into pieces
of furniture that can move around the house.
A group of scientists in Switzerland is
developing small robotic modules, called "roombots," which fit
together like LEGO bricks to form structures that can self-assemble and morph
into different shapes.
The idea of roving furniture may be somewhat
disconcerting, but the researchers envision them being used to provide assistance to elderly or disabled people
"The idea of different units that
self-assemble and change morphology has been around for quite a while, but
nobody came up with a good idea for how to use them," said Massimo
Vespignani, an engineer at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, in
Switzerland, andco-author of a study to be published in the July issue of the
journal Robotics and Autonomous Systems.
Vespignani and his colleagues decided to
apply the idea to robotic furniture. For example, the robotic modules could
turn themselves into a stool that follows elderly people around in case they
needed to sit down quickly.
Blocks on the move
Each roombot (not to be confused with the
robot vacuum cleanerRoomba) is a completely independent unit — a 9-inch-long (22 centimeters)
block that resembles a pair of dice joined together. It contains a battery and
three small motors that allow it to move in three different dimensions. The
roombot also has a set of retractable claws so it can hook onto other bots to
create bigger structures, or attach onto connectors in its environment.
The blocks can operate in one of two modes:
The roombot can move along a grid of tracks on the floor or wall and connect to
other blocks, or the blocks can disconnect from the grid and move freely around
a room.
The researchers designed the blocks to be
able to interact not only with each other, but also with existing furniture. In
order to attach the blocks to floors, walls or traditional furniture, the
researchers developed a special surface that affixes to these objects, with
holes for the roombots' claws.
For disabled or elderly people, roombots
could bring chairs and tables closer, or move them out of the way, the
researchers said.
The team is now experimenting with different
ways to control the furniture, using tablet computers, or speech or gesture
recognition. In the case of an elderly person, the robots might have more
autonomy, Vespignani said. But don't worry, "I don’t envision a scenario
where the robots are completely autonomous," he said.
Future
of furniture?
The robots are still
just a prototype — they might be available within about 20 years, the
researchers estimated. Right now, the prototypes are limited because the bots
lack enough torque to hold the weight of a person. Furthermore, the batteries
in each module only last for one hour, but the researchers don't foresee that
as a long-term problem. Future roombots might be able to share power between
modules, recharging while they're connected to a grid on the ground or wall.
The group is also planning a newer
generation of roombots forassisted living environments, which could actually interact with people.
But the question remains, would people —
especially the elderly — want to live in a house where their furniture moved
around and rearranged itself?
"Many people might think it's kind of a
crazy idea," Vespignani said. But once people see working prototypes, they
might warm up to it, he said. "Personally, I would like to have something
like this."
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