La Gitana Loca chain (La Gitana Loca Cuesta del Rosario) in Seville, Spain now has a robotic arm made by the Seville-based company Macco, which bottles beer.
This automatic service is designed to ensure hygiene and safety. According to Alejandro Martinez, one of the owners of the restaurant, it was originally planned to install such a robot before the pandemic in order to speed up the service, because usually there are always a lot of visitors in bars, and you can see a huge queue near the restaurant on weekends or holidays.
Taking advantage of the temporary quarantine measures, managers agreed with the Seville company Macco, the manufacturer of this model of a robotic arm, to install it in the central bar of the La Gitana Loca Cuesta del Rosario network.
Alejandro Martinez says that a mechanical arm works only with disposable plastic cups, and user contact with it is minimized.
The visitor orders his drink using the touch screen, pays for the order through a special payment mechanism, and then the robotic hand pours a foamy drink.
Alejandro also adds that the first customers coming to the bar after its opening, which took place recently, are very surprised at the new “bartender”, and even more surprised that he was made in Seville.
But not everyone is quite so enthusiastic.
"I think the relationship between the customer and the barman who serves you, who looks you in the eye and watches how the beer goes into the glass has an appeal that's missing with this robot," said 33-year-old lawyer Manuel Fernandez.
"I am not in favour of this kind of machine, I prefer to take risks and have them serve me beer the way they've done it all my life."
Spain has lost more than 28,000 people to the virus and is taking a very cautious approach to lifting the lockdown, with bar and cafe terraces operating at a reduced capacity and under strict hygiene conditions.
Today's summary looks at the reasons and how personal robots have regained their popularity. Check out this article for our trend ideas. We also offer you our options for robots that you can buy now for your home.
Until last year, companies that made personal robots were fighting. In particular, Rethink Robotics, founded by renowned AI researcher and almost famous Rodney Brooks, closed its doors forever in October 2018. A few months earlier, Mayfield Robots, the developers of the social robot Kuri, closed their doors for a few months. Even before that, Jibo, the inventor of an intelligent home robot, stopped operations after raising more than $ 70 million. Personal robots seemed to decline.
Top robots for your house
Modern robots can order groceries, take care of pets, call an ambulance, mop floors, clean children's toys and find lost keys. If quite recently we only dreamed of robot housekeepers from science fiction films, today they can be ordered via the Internet. It looks like the future has finally arrived. We have selected five of the most exciting and practical models of electronic assistants for the home.
Robotics is difficult
Robotics is complex. It is not an easy task to turn piles of software and metal into humanoids that can react to the environment and change their behavior as a human. Businesses have struggled with this. There was no urgency for non-human mass help in the home and everyday life.
The pandemic created the need for more robots
Then came 2020, and with it, the global pandemic. At this point, according to National Geographic, "... replacing humans with robots - an idea that most people around the world don't like ... seems like medical wisdom, if not essential." Since then, the demand for robots of all kinds has increased. Hospitals and clinics, for example, wanted robots to help them react to the initial overload. In the spring of 2020, hospitals in Asia, Europe, and North America used robots for telemedicine and telepresence, where robots connect patients to their loved ones.
Personal robots help in many ways
And for those in quarantine or waiting for a nationwide lockdown at home, there has been (and is) a massive demand for robotic home help. Because when you're stuck at home, the speed with which dust collects is fantastic. Rather than vacuuming or wiping every day, many people are pretty happy with the extra help in a robot mop or vacuum cleaner.
Moreover, people isolated from their typical social assistance networks are looking for new ways to connect. Social robots could be missing the link and connect them with their friends and family. Finally, parents are more willing than ever to buy an educational robot to fill in the gaps for young children whose education and time spent with friends have been disrupted by school closures and playtime limits.
As demand grew, so did companies. The Samsung Handy Bot can sort out your dishes and serve you a glass of wine, while the Moflin robot animal can gather and bond with you like a natural pet. And then, on the more industrial side, the LG Cloi UV-V anti-germ robot can quickly and automatically disinfect large public spaces using UV light. Now that it's needed, the robots are here. And today, we bring you five of the top robots you can buy for your home today.
Asus Zenbo: robot housewife
Asus Zenbo resembles the Wall-E cleaning robot from the Pixar cartoon of the same name. This mobile home robot will provide you with friendly support, help around the house, and entertain the family when needed. In addition, the robot can control home devices and lighting and care for the elderly. For example, it reminds you of doctor's appointments and the following medication. If there is no time to read a fairy tale to children, Zenbo will do it for you. She will also sing, dance, and play games with them. While you are at home, he learns and adapts to your behavior. When you are away, it turns into a home security system.
Amazon Echo: a voice assistant for all occasions
Amazon Echo is a multifunctional voice assistant. It became a hit in the US and spawned competition from Google, Yandex, and other big tech companies. The smart speaker can play music and audiobooks, inform about the bitcoin rate and share the latest news in the country and the world. In addition, among its capabilities is intelligent home control. Amazon's smart speaker can control everything from the lights to the washing machine. He also helps you prepare dinner, matches your mood with wine, orders pizza, and plays popular games using voice commands, for example, in Skyrim or Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Varram Pet Fitness Robot: animal companion
Are you sure that you are worried that your pet is bored and does not move much in your absence? Try buying him a Pet Fitness Robot from Varram. It is indispensable for all busy owners of cats and dogs. If you have a busy schedule and your pet is left alone for a long time, the $149 device will take care of it. The companion robot moves on any floor, covering, dragging dogs and cats with it and making them move more. Pet Fitness Robot is made of impact-resistant non-toxic polycarbonate and silicone. It is equipped with special infrared sensors, thanks to which it quickly goes around obstacles and does not get stuck in a narrow space.
Aeolus Robotics: a new member of the family
The home assistant from Aeolus Robotics is not even a robot but a full-fledged family member. He helps with everything from ordering food to cleaning and finding lost socks. In addition, the robot looks almost like a person and weighs like a 12-year-old child. According to the manufacturers, their development possibilities are still at the children's level. Still, the employees of the American startup intend to turn the robot into an "adult". Being near, the machine studies every detail of the family's life learns to perceive the environment and adapts to your behavior. Based on these data, it constantly improves the quality of its service. For example, each time returns things to their place.
Autonomous Tidying-up Robot System: cleaning robot
Last year, Preferred Networks Inc showed off a robotic cleaning machine that uses deep learning. Unlike analogs that work on factory lines, she knows how to respond to complex and dynamic situations that arise in everyday life. According to the developers, this is the first robot that automatically keeps the apartment clean and tidy. The computer vision system quickly and accurately identifies the type and location of objects, grabs and arranges scattered toys, pens, slippers, etc. To do this, the robot has a folding arm.
A fully autonomous machine understands spoken language and plans its actions following human recommendations. For example, she chooses in advance which object and how it is better to pick it up and put it in the right place. In addition, the Autonomous Tidying-up Robot System remembers room layouts and furniture arrangements. The maximum speed of the robot is 800 m/h. Specialists from Toyota Motor Corp carried out the development of the robot's " body ". As conceived by the authors, it should become an excellent personal assistant for the elderly and the disabled. The start of mass sales is scheduled for 2023. The people of Japan will be the first to try it.
Sony Aibo intelligent dog robot robot
If you want extra company around the house, the intelligent Aibo Sony dog robot is what you're looking for. This dog behaves like a man's best friend and may even greet you at the front door when you say, "I'm home." You can train him, give him delicacies and schedule a personalized action. Like a real puppy, he moves, eats, and loves to do tricks.
Misty II personal robot platform
Another cool personal robot is the Misty II personal robot platform. She is pretty intelligent because she can express emotions and recognize your face. You can program it to perform the desired tasks as a developer robot. She can manage your smart devices at home and act as a butler. Who doesn't want it?
Hexbot Versatile office desk arm
If you are a designer or creator, you may want to check out the Hexbot Versatile Desktop Robot Arm. This talented robot has made our list of the top five robots you can buy for your home, as it draws prints 3D and laser engraves on your existing desktop. Best of all, this robot can play a chess game with you. How smart is he?
Next-Generation Social Family Robot Mass
The next generation of family social robot Misa is precisely what you need. From a friend to a teacher or from a maternal assistant to a photographer, Mass can be significant. Say "Hey Mass" followed by your question, and she will give you the answer. The Mass is familiar with various topics, and more and more are being added. With four wheels and a range of sensors, this social robot can learn and interact with its surroundings.
IRobot Roomba i3 + robot vacuum cleaner
Opt for the iRobot Roomba i3 + robot vacuum cleaner for that little extra in the house. It is one of the latest models from iRobot, and you can control it by voice or application. But is this robot efficient? He is. This gadget comes with a high-efficiency filter that captures 99% of pollen, dust mites, mold, etc. And with two multi-surface rubber brushes, your floor will always be clean and dust-free.
Personal robots have returned, and experts believe that we will soon see humans and robots working side by side with the board's acceptance. Although skeptics say this is unlikely because "autonomous" robots often need a human to intervene when they are puzzled by a particular challenge. But since the developers taught the Boston Dynamics Spot robot dog how to jump rope, it might not be a problem for too long. What do you think? Are you ready to help the robot? Tell us your comments in the comments section.
Scientific progress shows that the boundaries between imagination and reality are blurred. Robots have ceased to be science fiction. Today they are indispensable assistants in many areas of activity. This article will look at what the most advanced robots can look like and what they can do.
It is easy to see why the most urgent need for humanoid-looking robots is now in Asia, mainly Japan and South Korea. The fact remains: development in this direction is most active there, and the public perceives with an explosion all the new items there - Japanese Aibo dogs, of which over 200 thousand have been sold worldwide, established mainly in Japan. The whole point may be in the specific perception of the world around us.
Smartest robots today and how they impress
Some researchers associate the phenomenon with the fact that the Japanese are interested in robots just as partners assistants and see their roots almost in the Japanese tradition of creating mechanical Karakuri dolls for tea ceremonies in the Edo dynasty (1600-1868). Maybe that's why in most cases, as a result of Japanese developments, we don't get an abstract mechanism of screws and pieces of iron, but rather an alloy of new technologies and design discoveries, whether we're talking about creating a complex humanoid robot, a stylized toy dog or even a simple vacuum cleaner.
Curiosity rover - the Gale crater researcher
It is the most advanced third-generation rover to date. NASA spent ten years and 2.5 billion dollars on its development to obtain a great researcher in the end. It is an independent chemical laboratory on wheels, the size of a small car that can research the crater. It was created specifically for the study of the Gale crater. Curiosity is stuffed with instruments and sensors that can do almost everything, from high-resolution photos to spectral analysis of solid ground rocks.
Geminoid DK - the humanoid robot
This is one of the most realistic humanoid robots. It was built by Hiroshi Ishiguro and his colleagues from Japan's Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International. The appearance of this robot is an exact copy of Professor Henrik Scharfe from Aalborg University. The Geminoid DK can be controlled remotely using advanced motion capture technology. It allows the machine to imitate facial expressions and accurately repeat movements.
Baxter - security robot
Baxter is no ordinary industrial robot, although it looks pretty standard. Such models can be found in almost all more or less modern machine-building enterprises. Its main feature is increased security and checking things to be ok. Ordinary industrial robots do not differ at all in this feature. If a person is unfortunate enough to fall under their mechanical pincer hands, everything can end sadly. But not with Baxter. In his "head," a camera makes sure that there are no foreign objects in the field of activity. If they come across, then the ultrasonic motors that control the grips of mechanical "hands" automatically release the "pliers".
Paul - the drawing master
Paul, perhaps, is the least like a robot in the usual sense. But what he does is fantastic. This is a real robot artist, consisting of only one mechanical hand holding a pencil or fountain pen. The drawing process is straightforward: a person sits down in front of a camera that scans his face, and then Paul's "hand" begins to draw a portrait. Moreover, the robot does not draw according to a template; each picture of even the same person turns unique. There is a specific style in his drawings.
Wild cat - the stable robot animal
The development of Boston Dynamics. This is a reconnaissance robot capable of moving over rough terrain and, in gallop mode, which can accelerate to 25.7 km / h. Yes, this robot can gallop. And stop abruptly and turn around. WildCat is incredibly stable.
S One - the best worker
Rescue robot from the Japanese company Schaft, which Google eventually bought (as well as Boston Dynamics). S-One is a small, stocky, highly stable, and robust robot. He can lift weights, wield a drill, easily cope with valves and doorknobs. Thanks to the particular latest developments, the robot's creators managed to achieve incredible speed and smoothness in completing the tasks.
Sub1 - Rubik's cube master
Two US software developers, Jay Flatland and Paul Rose created this robot. The robot consists of 6 stepper motors, four webcams, and a small number of publicly available parts. And his main task is to solve the Rubik's cube. And he does it, just think, in less than one second. Among people, the record for the fastest assembly of the Rubik's Cube now belongs to the American teenager Lucas Etter. In the fall of 2015, he solved the cube in 4.9 seconds. The Sub1 robot took only 0.887 seconds.
Row-bot - the best cleaner
This is the latest development of scientists from the University of Bristol. Row-bot is a prototype robot designed to move around the surface of polluted water bodies and eat microbes that make the water dirty. It is noteworthy that Row-bot uses the “eaten” microbes as biofuel to generate energy and continue to work.
M-2000iA/1700L - the strong buddy
The Japanese company FANUC has developed the most robust robot in the world. His name, of course, is not very harmonious, but the possibilities are awe-inspiring. A strongman robot with an arm span of 4.7 meters can lift objects weighing 1,700 kg. The previous most powerful robot on the planet, Titan, could manipulate objects weighing up to 1 ton, but its “arm” was also slightly longer - 6.5 meters.
Atlas - the snow runner
Boston Dynamics recently unveiled a new generation of its Atlas robot to the general public. B his abilities are simply unique. A bipedal humanoid robot quickly walks through a winter forest with challenging terrain. At the same time, he maintains balance even when his feet fall into the snow. But if it does fail, the robot can independently rise from almost any position.
Actroid DER2 (ho-ho, Dramatic Entertainment Robot) - the realistic girl
Developed by Kokoro Company (Sanrio Group), this actress (actress + android. Wow, a term from the newspeak of the future!) It has more refined hand movements and improved facial expressions than the 2005 model. Facial expressions are pneumatically controlled.
This model can already be programmed to choreograph the movements of the legs and arms to transmit gestures synchronized with the voice. Amazingly accurate transmission of facial expressions and natural skin tones, Actroid DER, is called silicone coating, corresponding to a soft and silky voice. Kokoro rents Actroid DER2 for events to various companies, with a base rate of approximately $ 3,500 for five days, plus some minor royalties and maintenance fees.
Geminoid - professor's best friend
Regarding the development of facial expressions, Hiroshi Ishiguro, a professor at Osaka University and a developer of ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories, is perhaps the most distant. Its double is called Geminoid (Gemini in Latin is just "double, twin", and "-old" is the well-known suffix of the reflection of "similarity"). The robotics made as an exact copy of the teacher - the body with 46 degrees of freedom was copied by at Ishiguro and created by the Kokoro company - the one that produces "stars", and the shape of the skull is made after a volumetric scan of his head.
Moreover, the android Geminoid also inherited some of the ways of its "parent" twin. Leather material - soft silicone material. Geminoid is connected by a network of power cords and cannot get up from the chair alone. But given what has been achieved in a short time - it took only six months to develop the body and three months to build the software; we can say that the development prospects are very bright.
Robovie-R - moving friend
The third version of this robot costs about $ 41,000 or about 1.4 million rubles. It can communicate with other robots through a local network and is intended for use in museums and malls. Its height is 108 cm, and its weight is 35 kg.
All 17 degrees of freedom of the robot give it high mobility, interaction with users, and understanding of the environment. Due to the large flow of people that can move simultaneously in a small space, the Robovie-R mission becomes difficult but not impossible. A laser rangefinder has been integrated into the robot to determine the safest path to follow. The robot is sensitive to touch due to the 11 touch sensors integrated into its structure.