Meet ‘Robbie’: Darpa’s Seeing, Feeling, Two-Armed Robot

By Katie Drummond

May 24, 2012 | 10:09 am | Categories: DarpaWatch

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/05/darpa-arm-2/

It’s only been three months since the Pentagon’s latest robot — the one able to staple paperwork and answer phone calls with a single autonomous arm —  demonstrated some of those amazing skills. Now, the freaky humanoid ‘bot is back. And this time, he has two arms. And a name.

Meet Robbie. This particular robot was designed by RE2, a robotics firm in Pittsburgh, which showed him off to IEEE Spectrum at their International Conference on Robotics and Automation last week. RE2 was one of six teams initially contracted by Darpa, the Pentagon’s robo-loving research agency, to work on their Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) program. Launched two years ago, the program aims to develop robots that can perform complex tasks with minimal input from their human overlords.

Initially, Darpa gave each of the six teams a one-armed robot to work with. With the program entering its next phase, according to RE2′s Patrick Rowe, the playing field has narrowed to three groups. And — as evidenced by the video above — Darpa’s asked them to work with ‘bots who boast two roving arms instead.

Both of Robbie’s arms move with seven degrees of freedom, along with a rotating wrist and multiple, dexterous fingers. Those fingers also incorporate pressure sensors, allowing Robbie to touch and sense its environs in a manner akin to humans. And take a good look at the ‘bot’s head. That gaping mouth is actually a LIDAR camera. Behind those beady eyes lurks a stereo-vision camera. And what look like ears are, in fact, microphones.

With features like that, there’s no doubt that Robbie has plenty of skills to show off. Already, the one-armed version of the robot can perform 18 tasks with relative autonomy. This latest video doesn’t include demos of any fantastical new abilities, but Rowe says that Darpa wants the ‘bot to “perform two-armed tasks … something like changing a tire on a small car.”

The ARM program is only one of several recent Darpa initiatives to develop robots with enhanced skills and greater autonomy. In its latest contest, the agency is asking robotics aces across the country to develop a bipedal robot that can do things like drive cars, make repairs and traverse rough terrain. And let’s not forget AlphaDog, a behemoth four-legged ‘bot meant to rove for miles while lugging tons of gear, or the Cheetah, an uber-speedy robot being designed to “zigzag to chase and evade.”

Fortunately, Cheetah-Bot is still confined to a laboratory treadmill. But later this year, robot aficionados just might get to see Robbie’s abilities up close and personal. A version of the robot is being shipped off for a display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. And the ‘bot already seems to be getting ready: At video’s 1:40 mark, Robbie actually holds the videographer’s camera and adeptly films his own ‘bod. Impressive, and also astute. As any model would attest, if you’re gonna be on display, you’ve gotta know your best angles.