Comments on: Roomba with dustpan style grasper

By: Ralph

Ralph — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:39:31 +0000

Exellent proof of concept guys! It would be neat if you could engineer it as a self contained add-on piggy back unit, (very low profile) that would sense small objects, interupt the roomba’s current cleaning routine, deploy, and collect small objects and place them in a collection hopper, and then retact it’s self, and allow the roomba to continue on it’s merry way!

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:59:39 +0000

Ok nice, now lets see it crush stuff.

By: mesoiam

mesoiam — Sun, 10 May 2009 13:04:04 +0000

Am I right in thinking that the thin metal plate is actually a gobo from a profile lantern and not a kitchen turner?

By: jzoe

jzoe — Sun, 10 May 2009 05:30:38 +0000

I have to say, although the examples may seem superfluous, these are the kinds of objects which may need to be picked up. Many wheelchair users use sticks with grippers, magnets, hooks, or other end pieces to pick up dropped items, but many individuals would be presented with a major challenge using these devices to pick up the items in the video. Good luck picking up a single pill with a hook, gripper, or magnet, especially if you have limited strength or impaired coordination!

By: Zibri

Zibri — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:47:30 +0000

2 feet sorry.. mixed it up from 1 foot and 2 feet :) lol

By: Zibri

Zibri — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:46:43 +0000

Oh and travis: try to make it pick the credit card from a solid flat floor and not a carpet :)

By: Zibri

Zibri — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:45:28 +0000

Useful if you are 1 feet tall :D

By: tr0nk

tr0nk — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:16:38 +0000

it made me sad when it picked up the teddy bear like that :(

By: Travis

Travis — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:08:49 +0000

@colecago: the reason for the numerous videos is to show the vast variety of objects that the end effector is capable of grasping. The number of empirical trials in this publication is significantly greater than is traditionally encountered in academic research.

@dan: the examples chosen are by not means superfluous. These objects were chosen (partially) based on a list developed based on the needs of ALS (or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, the same one that Steven Hawking has). The examples also span very small objects (single pill) to large containers. It contains objects that are difficult for simulation (cloth) and have many potential configurations (keys). A good primer on the subject can be found here:

http://arxiv.org/abs/0902.2186

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:50:46 +0000

interesting concept, superfluous examples.

By: ggmaniack

ggmaniack — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:40:59 +0000

Picking up wallet?!? Picking up credit card?!?! I know an better way how to use it xD

By: colecago

colecago — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:35:21 +0000

That was cool and all, but after the first few things, I knew what was going to happen, so they could have spared me the 100 examples.
*here is a bottle of Prozac*
*here is a bottle of Preperation H*