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Science Blog ZINC PROJECTS

Get a robot to work with just a point and a click

Date: 23-Mar-08
Author: Georgia Institute of Technology

Robots are fluent in their native language of 1 and 0 absolutes but struggle to grasp the nuances and imprecise nature of human language. While scientists are making slow, incremental progress in their quest to create a robot that responds to speech, gestures and body language, a more straightforward method of communication may help robots find their way into homes sooner.

A team of researchers have found a way to instruct a robot to find and deliver an item it may have never seen before using a more direct manner of communication -- a laser pointer.

El-E (pronounced like the name Ellie), a robot designed to help users with limited mobility with everyday tasks, autonomously moves to an item selected with a green laser pointer, picks up the item and then delivers it to the user, another person or a selected location such as a table.

Charlie Kemp, director of the Healthcare Robotics Center at Georgia Tech and Emory University, accepts a towel from El-E, a robot designed to aid users with mobility impairment with everyday tasks. Courtesy: Georgia Tech

To ensure that El-E will someday be ready to roll out of the lab and into the homes of patients who need assistance ... El-E's creators are gathering input from ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) patients and doctors to prepare El-E to assist patients with severe mobility challenges.

Full story: Robot Fetches Objects with Just a Point and a Click