MIT Project has Developed Technique to Make Printable Robots
A new MIT project could transform the old concept of complication of robot-making. Now with funds of $10 million provided by National Science Foundation (NSF), the MIT project has developed printable, mass-market robots.
It would transform our concept that in the future we will be dependent on technological companies for robots in our houses and offices. Everyone would be able to make his/her own robot without any complicated knowledge of technology.
The MIT project, titled as “An Expedition in Computing for Compiling Printable Programmable Machines,” has brought together researchers from MIT, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, to develop a desktop technology for making the robots, and is funded as part of the NSF’s “Expeditions in Computing” program.
With this new desktop technology, an average person will be able to design and print a specialized robot within 24 hours.
“This research envisions a whole new way of thinking about the design and manufacturing of robots, and could have a profound impact on society,” says MIT Professor Daniela Rus, leader of the project and a principal investigator at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). “We believe that it has the potential to transform manufacturing and to democratize access to robots.”
“Our goal is to develop technology that enables anyone to manufacture their own customized robot. This is truly a game changer,” says Professor Vijay Kumar, who is leading the team from the University of Pennsylvania. “It could allow for the rapid design and manufacture of customized goods, and change the way we teach science and technology in high schools.”
The team has developed two prototypes i.e. an insect-like robot and a gripper. The insect like robot could help in checking the gas leaks in the basement or playing with cats, Rus said, and the gripper claw could help in picking up objects.
“Our vision is to develop an end-to-end process; specifically, a compiler for building physical machines that starts with a high level of specification of function, and delivers a programmable machine for that function using simple printing processes,” Rus says.
Source: MIT
(Picture: Insect like printed robot, Credit: MIT)
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