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Ed Yeates ReportingOn the ground, in the air, or smashing through walls looking for bombs or people, it was robot day in Salt Lake for the masters who build the machines.
Our most recent glimpse of these machines in action was the Katrina disaster. Small robotic planes and miniature helicopters carried in backpacks popped out and into the air. While humans still could not get in, the air robots could see and report back.
Dr. Robin Murphy, University of South Florida: "Also, we were able to show that the predicted cresting flood waters of the Pearl River, that we thought would exaggerate, the situation actually wasn't happening at all."
Brigham Young University has been experimenting with similar planes. They not only see, but laser map precisely where things are.
These robots are no longer in a fish bowl, they're out and about in the environment. Interaction between robots and human is getting better and better and the learning curve of the robot is improving.
Small ground mechanical creatures can navigate and find victims, or in combat, look around a corner without putting the soldier at risk. Others are big tank size shape shifters that can change traction, searching up, around or through anything.
Dr. Michael Goodrich, Brigham Young University: "One of these systems, for example, might be able to go into a mine and build an accurate map of the mine, navigate the mine, even if they don't have communication ability."
Little robots that can scurry. How about the converted Segway, without a human, that can balance and navigate on its own. Another robot plays hide and seek with humans. Some are even learning from their failures.
Alan Schultz, Naval Research Laboratory: "We have a robot that if you break one of its sensors, it will use its other sensors to make up that capability."
The people who design, build and use these machines are all here too, from all over the world. Salt Lake's Human Robot Interaction Conference continues through tomorrow.
