I'd like to buy one and try to have it build a robot like itself. Would I be able to sell them? Maybe now but not the version in 2040.
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Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
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Re: Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
#22Seems very slow, guess robotics really is hard.
We know how to make fast robots, we know how to make safe robots, and we know how to make useful robots. But we do not know how to make fast, safe, useful robots. A faster robot would need to be heavier to do the same work.
Any robot that can move as fast as a human and perform similar work to a human will need to be close to as strong/heavy as a human. And humans can kill each other with their bare hands; we just know not to. A Kuka LBR iiwa can only lift 7-14kg, but could easily accidentally kill/maim someone with common payloads of that mass.
Obviously there's also some slowness w.r.t. the actual control here (i.e. safety pauses, planning latency, etc.), but it's a tall order to build any kind of home robot - especially one that has such a large workspace - that is intelligent enough to be both fast and safe.
Re: Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
#23I'm looking forward to the day a small home robot can do the dishes, in the sink – replacing a dishwasher machine. This looks like a small step in that direction.
Re: Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
#24The base looks like the clearance is too low and wheels too small, but otherwise a nice idea. I'd imagine you could replace the base with a quadruped for better mobility.
Cross-breed Boston Dynamics' Spot?
Re: Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
#25Mobile base with a long stick on top, camera on top of the stick and arm moving up and down the the stick: I'd say that's a proven design featured in many custom-built robots for RoboCup@Home.
This has some potential.
Re: Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
#26Things it can't do:
- go up stairs
- get up after a fall / reset itself
- pick up heavy objects
- precise motion (so no cooking)
- interact with buttons or touch screens (so laundry might be hard)
The one use case I think it might be worth it is if the robot can take a room full of toys and return everything back to where it belongs. Kind of like a one click, reset this room. If it can help me keep organized and clean around the house that would be a big win. Also, if it can help me detect which clothes are still wearable and which I should probably wash, that'd be nice.
I'd gladly pay 5k for a robot that can auto-organize my stuff around the house, even if it involves a lot of customization and setup. Imagine leaving your groceries next to the fridge and coming back to a perfectly organized fridge. Or letting your kids play in the play room and then the robot comes in and puts all the toys back. Or if you just tend to leave stuff out (throw your clothes on the floor or forget to return stuff), the robot can put it back.
I think that's a legit use case.
Re: Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
#27I'm looking forward to the day a small home robot can do the dishes, in the sink – replacing a dishwasher machine. This looks like a small step in that direction.
And it seems like an actual first step, as opposed to the various gimmicky anthropomorphs we've gotten used to seeing. If this thing could be set to clean the kid's room during a working day, or programmed to water the plants when I'm away, that's substantial progress.
Re: Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
#28Things it can't do: - go up stairs - get up after a fall / reset itself - pick up heavy objects - precise motion (so no cooking) - interact with buttons or touch screens (so laundry might be hard) The one use case I think it might be worth it is if the robot can take a room full of toys and return everything back to where it belongs. Kind of like a one click, reset this room. If it can help me keep organized and clea…
This is what a 10 year old would want a robot for.
Re: Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
#29I'm always surprised how much these things cost. A 3 axis CNC is basically a 3 degree-of-freedom robot, yet only costs a few hundred dollars. I think we'll see mobile autonomous robots come into people's homes only after they:
- fall to low thousands price range
- do something useful (ie. not just a "social robot")
Re: Ex-Googler's startup comes out of stealth with simple, clever robot design
#30The idea of it being controlled by a remote person makes me feel like a new breed of gig-jobs could be around the corner.
Buy a robot, and pay someone remotely to do your housekeeping for you. The housekeeper could even operate it from their smartphones.