New Dual-Armed Robot Achieves Human-Like Dexterity
Roboticists from the Robotics and AI Institute, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have developed a new dual-armed robotic system known as AthenaZero. This robot achieved human-like agile movements, successfully performing baseball-inspired tasks. These tasks included throwing balls, catching them, and hitting them with a bat, a notable development in robot manipulation capabilities.
Andrew S. Morgan, the lead author of the paper introducing AthenaZero in Science Robotics, observed that manipulation has presented a continuous challenge within the field of robotics since its inception. He noted an incremental progress but no significant surge in capabilities, unlike advancements seen in locomotion or image processing. The team adopted a mechanics-based approach to construct a rigid robot with mass and force properties comparable to those found in humans.
And AthenaZero itself comprises a central torso, two robotic arms ending in hands, motors, and gears. The arms feature rigid structural segments; however, their joints can yield to external forces. This design enables controlled movements when the robot makes contact with an object or a surface, setting it apart from many earlier robotic manipulators. The system's ability to respond to environmental forces more effectively allows it to perform a wider array of manual tasks.
Morgan further explained that traditional industrial robots, commonly found in factories or on cargo ships, are built for strength and stiffness. While these characteristics prove useful for lifting substantial objects and achieving precise movements, such robots are inherently unsafe for human interaction and perform poorly with delicate environmental contact. AthenaZero, conversely, was designed for a broad dynamic range of force, capable of both delicate and forceful actions, mirroring human capabilities.
So, to evaluate the robotic manipulator's effectiveness, researchers initially tested it on tasks derived from baseball. This sport demands coordinated and agile movements, frequently involving both hands, making it a suitable benchmark for complex robotic manipulation. Morgan explained that baseball illustrates various difficult robotics topics, including soft catching and the coordination of two hands. He also noted that AthenaZero's custom actuators define its mechanical properties, differentiating it from commercially available robots.
Initial tests confirmed AthenaZero's successful execution of coordinated and agile arm movements. Future work anticipates improvements and further assessments across a broader spectrum of object manipulation tasks. According to Tech Xplore, Morgan highlighted that their published paper initiates new discussions regarding the construction of robot manipulators, specifically how they might interact with the world more gently.
But advancements in electric motor design and computational power over the last decade have acted as motivators for this research direction. Morgan described AthenaZero as their initial foray into a low-inertia design approach. He indicated that the properties achieved and the results demonstrated thus far appear promising for the future of robotic manipulation.
The robot's inherent backdrivability was demonstrated through human interaction. When the motors were powered off, external human perturbations imparted forces, causing energy absorption and dissipation throughout the robot's kinematic chain. This illustrated its low inertia properties. With power on, the robot could adjust its stiffness parameters while responding to an external force, as depicted in a Science Robotics publication.
And Morgan and his team are now pursuing additional studies to refine the robot's movements and manipulation abilities. Their overarching aim is to develop robots capable of reliably completing a greater variety of manual tasks in unpredictable, real-world environments. Morgan stated that the baseball tasks serve as initial examples for more significant manipulation challenges, with dexterous manipulation representing the project's ultimate objective.
The team maintains interest in addressing fundamental and complex issues within the area of dexterous manipulation. This continued research aims to push the boundaries of what robotic systems can achieve when interacting with dynamic objects and environments.
The Robotics and AI Institute developed AthenaZero, a dual-armed robotic system.
AthenaZero successfully performed baseball-inspired tasks, including throwing, catching, and hitting balls.
Its design permits a dynamic range of force, enabling both delicate and forceful interaction with objects.
The robot's yielding joints and low-inertia properties differentiate it from traditional industrial robots.
Researchers aim to expand AthenaZero's capabilities for a wider variety of dexterous manipulation tasks in real-world settings.
Source: Tech Xplore
