The Self Stimulator Robotic Arm is an example of a robot that can learn to adapt to changes in its physical composition. The robot being worked on at Columbia University actually knows when and where damage occurred and can learn to adapt to changes based on the data it collects. The robotic arm uses deep learning to create a self model, which is a model of its mechanics without any prior knowledge about physics, geometry, or motor dynamics. At first, it moves randomly and collects trajectories, or data on its path of motion, each path comprised of 100 points. In other words, it makes a 3D graph with many lines of motion and interprets it to understand how its joints are connected. Because the robot can understand how its functioning without having prior knowledge, it can learn function with missing parts. Think about when you breath. You don't have to be taught, and when you become congested, you adapt by learning how to breath out of your mouth more instead of your nose. This is similar to how the robotic arm doesn't need any "How To"s on functioning properly, and how it can adapt without being taught or needing assistance. Columbia engineers tested their robot and found by giving it a "picking and placing" task. Within 34 hours of training, the Self Model Robot showed a 44 percent success rate and was consistent within 4 centimeters when picking up the balls placed. They also tested the robot's ability to detect changes in its morphology, such as damage. This was tested when the engineers replaced a perfectly functioning part with a slightly deformed part, and the robot automatically detected the change and remade its self model, and resumed its task. The robot's human qualities and abilities make it close to a form of AI, yet it analyzes data to be able to function. The innovation proves how mechanisms, programming, and data analysis can come together to create such an advanced product, which may possess features that all robots will have in the future. Watch the robot in action here. If the topic of robots adapting to their own malfunctions interests you, check out my article about the Particle Robot. This robot doesn't use data to understand how to function like the Self Aware Arm does, but it can continue functioning even when parts break.
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AuthorKatie Zelvin Archives
September 2020
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