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In pictures: inside Microsoft's robot factory
What MS robots will do for us in the next 5 years
Sharon Gaudin (Computerworld) 22/04/2008 15:29:24
Robots as toys Tandy Trower, general manager of the Microsoft Robotics Group, talks about the recent advancement in robots, noting that Pleo, a robotic dinosaur toy, learns from its interactions and environment. May the force be with you What roboticist doesn't love R2-D2? Trower says robotics is evolving to the point that a machine will engage with you and someday serve you, leaving today's toys far behind. Understanding the fundamentals Trower shows off the iRobot Create, which is designed to help people understand the fundamentals of robots and how to write software to control them. He said the industry needs a standardised software platform, and that's what Microsoft is working on. A PC on wheels Trower calls the iRobi Q, presented by Yujin Robot, a PC on wheels, since it has an Intel Pentium processor and 512MB of memory. The iRobi Q may someday aid the country's growing elderly population. Pink cheeks and a bright yellow smile With pink cheeks, a bright yellow smile and heart shapes in its eyes, the iRobi Q is designed to make people feel comfortable around it. Microsoft is using it as a prototype for developing software that will make iRobi Q useful. Trower says we may have this or similar robots in our homes in three to five years. First simulate, then build Kyle Johns is a senior developer in the Microsoft Robotics Group. He's working on the Microsoft Visual Simulation Environment, which allows developers to try out programs virtually before they go in the robot. Back of the net Programmers can work on software created by Aldebaran Robotics using a simulation of their Nao robot, which was designed to compete in the RoboCup. The competition pits humanoid robots against world-class human football players. The goal is to develop robots that can beat human players by 2050. Two wheels good, two arms better The uBot-5 is a two-wheeled, dynamically stable robot with two arms and a rotating trunk. Caring for the elderly The uBot-5 is designed to move easily through a human home environment and could someday be used for elder care. Here to help Patrick Deegan and Bryan J Thibodeau, graduate students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, used Microsoft's Robotics Studio software to develop uBot-5. Using the attached display screen, someone could see what the robot sees, someday enabling a doctor or relative to check in on a senior citizen who is living with the aid robot. Life as a learning experience The uBot-5 can pick itself up off the floor, maintain its balance as it moves its two arms and learn from its experiences. The robot uses a Celeron processor.
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Robots as toys Tandy Trower, general manager of the Microsoft Robotics Group, talks about the recent advancement in robots, noting that Pleo, a robotic dinosaur toy, learns from its interactions and environment.

Robots as toys


Tandy Trower, general manager of the Microsoft Robotics Group, talks about the recent advancement in robots, noting that Pleo, a robotic dinosaur toy, learns from its interactions and environment.
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