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Benjie's Humanoid Olympic Games

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Re: Benjie's Humanoid Olympic Games

#21

Post by robobenjie »

bnjmn wrote: post #18

Here's a use case that seems more science fictional to me (as the parent of a 2yo) than warp drive: a robot that can gently restrain an uncooperative human baby while changing its diaper, with everything that entails: identifying and eliminating all traces of waste from all crevices, applying diaper cream as necessary, unfolding and positioning the new diaper correctly and quickly, always using enough but never too m…

This is a great one. The manipulation is hard, but we're probably on a trajectory to be able to do it in 1-3 years if you were tolerant of some risk to the baby, but, of course, your tolerance for injuring babies is basically zero. I think 'risk & reliability' is a good potential category: there is the bar of 'got it to do a task reliably enough that we got a video' and the bar of 'got it to do a task reliably enough that I'd risk an infant in its grippers.

Re: Benjie's Humanoid Olympic Games

#22

Post by robobenjie »

nancyminusone wrote: post #16
robobenjie wrote: post #2

Hey Hacker News. Curious if folks feel like I'm missing categories of challenge.

I'd go for something in the manipulation of ropes or wires. State of the art seems to be that they can untangle a loosely knotted cord. Untying a short rope with a tightly pulled overhand knot in the middle seems like it's decades away. You have to be able to grip it well enough, then twist the rope and push (even though every physicist says pushing a rope is impossible).

Interesting. Futurism is super hard, but "decades" too far away to me. I think with strong 2 finger grippers this is probably close to state of the art, especially with a wrist force sensor, like the TRI setup.

Re: Benjie's Humanoid Olympic Games

#25

Post by robotresearcher »

bnjmn wrote: post #18

Here's a use case that seems more science fictional to me (as the parent of a 2yo) than warp drive: a robot that can gently restrain an uncooperative human baby while changing its diaper, with everything that entails: identifying and eliminating all traces of waste from all crevices, applying diaper cream as necessary, unfolding and positioning the new diaper correctly and quickly, always using enough but never too m…

> It would require an entirely different kind of robotics.

I was 100% with you until suddenly this technical claim pops out. You might feel this way, and might be right, but why? Changing a diaper is crazy hard, I absolutely agree, but you seem to be just declaring from vibes that we 'require an entirely different kind of robotics'. Can you put your finger on why this is true?

Not nitpicking for the fun of it - I'm genuinely interested. Robot person.

Re: Benjie's Humanoid Olympic Games

#26

Post by robotresearcher »

robobenjie wrote: post #2

Hey Hacker News. Curious if folks feel like I'm missing categories of challenge.

Standard evening family home tidy/reset - toys, books, clothes, shoes away in their places. All over the house.

Oh, and load/unload dishwasher. Same with laundry machines. Along with folding laundry, these are the domestic robot equivalents of 'de-mining' and 'search and rescue': the classic motivating use cases for mobile autonomous robots.

Re: Benjie's Humanoid Olympic Games

#27

Post by robobenjie »

meeech wrote: post #8
robobenjie wrote: post #2

Hey Hacker News. Curious if folks feel like I'm missing categories of challenge.

something requiring navigating stairs while holding something full like a laundry basket. bronze - straight stairs, silver - one 90deg turn. gold - spiral. something requiring co-ordination between 2 robots. think relay race which the olympics has. So say, moving a couch together. btw love the idea and the silver body suit. good stuff.

Ooh. I like full body manipulation. Humans use hips & elbows to move laundry baskets. Two robot collaboration is good too. I wonder who I can convince to wear another silver suit.... :)

Re: Benjie's Humanoid Olympic Games

#28

Post by dylan604 »

robobenjie wrote: post #21
bnjmn wrote: post #18

Here's a use case that seems more science fictional to me (as the parent of a 2yo) than warp drive: a robot that can gently restrain an uncooperative human baby while changing its diaper, with everything that entails: identifying and eliminating all traces of waste from all crevices, applying diaper cream as necessary, unfolding and positioning the new diaper correctly and quickly, always using enough but never too m…

This is a great one. The manipulation is hard, but we're probably on a trajectory to be able to do it in 1-3 years if you were tolerant of some risk to the baby, but, of course, your tolerance for injuring babies is basically zero. I think 'risk & reliability' is a good potential category: there is the bar of 'got it to do a task reliably enough that we got a video' and the bar of 'got it to do a task reliably enough…

> your tolerance for injuring babies is basically zero.

Um, no it's not. Is absolutely zero tolerance. There is not weasel words out of this. If a robot was to cause any pain to the baby, there would be no remorse. There would be no front of mind thoughts to not repeat the same thing the next time. There would be no guilt for causing pain to the baby.

Why you would "basically" this the way you have is disturbing.

Re: Benjie's Humanoid Olympic Games

#29

Post by dylan604 »

robotresearcher wrote: post #25
bnjmn wrote: post #18

Here's a use case that seems more science fictional to me (as the parent of a 2yo) than warp drive: a robot that can gently restrain an uncooperative human baby while changing its diaper, with everything that entails: identifying and eliminating all traces of waste from all crevices, applying diaper cream as necessary, unfolding and positioning the new diaper correctly and quickly, always using enough but never too m…

> It would require an entirely different kind of robotics. I was 100% with you until suddenly this technical claim pops out. You might feel this way, and might be right, but why ? Changing a diaper is crazy hard, I absolutely agree, but you seem to be just declaring from vibes that we 'require an entirely different kind of robotics'. Can you put your finger on why this is true? Not nitpicking for the fun of it - I'm…

Well, Mr Robot person, would you let today's robotics change your clothes right now? If you wouldn't, then why would you allow it any where near a baby? If you would, why? What robot with what tech would you allow?

Re: Benjie's Humanoid Olympic Games

#30

Post by trhway »

bnjmn wrote: post #18

Here's a use case that seems more science fictional to me (as the parent of a 2yo) than warp drive: a robot that can gently restrain an uncooperative human baby while changing its diaper, with everything that entails: identifying and eliminating all traces of waste from all crevices, applying diaper cream as necessary, unfolding and positioning the new diaper correctly and quickly, always using enough but never too m…

> a baby some robot neglects to prevent from falling off the changing table

that is when we think about 2 handed robots. 6 handed robot can easily have 2-3 hands assigned to tightly keeping the baby. Humanoid robots are handicapped by their similarity to humans which is really an artificial constraint. After all we aren't building airplanes using birds as the blueprint.

On the similar note - while not about baby, was just rewatching an early Bing Bang Theory season with this episode where Howard "falls right into the mechanical hand"

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