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Introduction
Mobile manipulators, a type of robotic system, are capable of both moving within their environment and interacting with objects. They are increasingly being adopted in various fields, including manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and service industries. In this article, we will explore the development of a ‘waiter robot’ capable of balancing objects on a tray, navigating dynamic environments, and avoiding collisions.
The Waiter’s Problem
At present, most mobile manipulators navigate their surroundings at a relatively slow pace, often alternating movement between the mobile base and manipulator arm(s). The waiter’s problem has mostly been tackled by fixed-base arms. To make a functional, more efficient waiter robot, the team would have to mount a robot arm on a mobile base.
“Imagine a restaurant customer suddenly backing out their chair into the waiter’s path,” says Adam Heins, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto. “Ideally, the waiter would be able to avoid colliding with the person without dropping any food or drink from their tray.”
A Five-Star Service With the Ridgeback Waiter Bot
To create an efficient waiter robot, the team required an indoor, omnidirectional platform that they could use as a mobile base. They chose the Ridgeback because of its easy-to-use ROS interface and capability of carrying heavy payloads.
“Clearpath is the go-to solution for mobile research robots in Canada. We found it extremely valuable that Clearpath could integrate the UR10 arm with the Ridgeback base to make a combined mobile manipulation system. With Clearpath taking care of the hardware, we can focus on our research on the software and control aspects of the system.”
Precision Served: Future of Waiter Bots
Currently, the team assumes that they have accurate estimates of various parameters of balanced objects such as their masses and centres of mass. Their goal is to enable their robots to balance objects despite facing uncertainty regarding these parameters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is the primary goal of the ‘waiter robot’ project?
The primary goal of the ‘waiter robot’ project is to develop a robotic system capable of balancing objects on a tray, navigating dynamic environments, and avoiding collisions, making it a functional and efficient waiter robot.
Q2: What is the Ridgeback?
The Ridgeback is an indoor, omnidirectional platform used as a mobile base for the robotic system. It has an easy-to-use ROS interface and the capability of carrying heavy payloads.
Q3: What is the UR10 arm?
The UR10 arm is a robot arm that is integrated with the Ridgeback base to create a combined mobile manipulation system.
Q4: What is the goal of the team’s research on balancing objects?
The goal of the team’s research is to enable their robots to balance objects despite facing uncertainty regarding parameters such as masses and centres of mass.
Q5: What is the future of the ‘waiter robot’ project?
The future of the ‘waiter robot’ project is to continue refining the system, incorporating new features, and expanding its capabilities to make it even more efficient and effective in its role.
Conclusion
The ‘waiter robot’ project is an exciting example of how robotics can be used to solve real-world problems. With its advanced capabilities and potential to revolutionize the way we interact with objects, it is an innovative and promising field of research. As the project continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more exciting developments and applications of this technology in the future.
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