Robot Arm Reacts Fast Enough to Catch Thrown Objects

Researchers at the EPFL technology university in Switzerland have developed a robotic arm capable of reacting to and catching objects thrown its way. What makes the catching skill doubly impressive is the ability to adapt and react to changes in the objects being tossed its way.

We do not have to explicitly specify the task or the object’s motion. The robot can just observe the task from a human a number of times and use this model for catching in real-time.

Potential applications for the arm include the possibility of catching falling people or intercepting objects before they fall onto their heads.

via Motherboard

Brian Heater
Brian Heater