Build a robot that will help such people. “I dream of making a robot so that it... Your personal robotic bartender for $2700

Twenty years ago, we could easily do without mobile communications, and not everyone had landline telephones. And now we live in an age of new technologies, which are improved every day and offer us something new, practically straight out of the pages of science fiction novels. And the new generation can no longer imagine studying, working and leisure without smartphones, tablets, laptops and other gadgets. And for the advanced and fashionable, a home robot assistant was invented.

What is it?

A home robot assistant is a device whose purpose is to help a person in everyday life. Unlike conventional household appliances, it is endowed with artificial intelligence, although it is not quite perfect yet, but work in this direction does not stop.

There are different units with specific functionality: glass cleaners, lawn mowers, pool cleaners. But robotic vacuum cleaners have become the most popular recently. Read about them below.

Description

This is a unit with artificial intelligence, the purpose of which is to automatically clean rooms. A modern device often has the shape of a disk with a diameter of about 30 and a height of 10 cm. The front of the robot is equipped with a large contact sensor (bumper), which helps it avoid collisions with obstacles. This assistant runs on internal batteries and is recharged from a base (special module), which it finds and connects after cleaning. It charges from two to five hours depending on the type of battery used.

During the cleaning process, the home robot moves autonomously along the surface, collecting garbage along the way. Using special algorithms, he decides how to overcome the obstacle he encounters. Thanks to its low height, this smart vacuum cleaner can easily fit under beds or other furniture. If he still gets stuck and cannot move, he will notify the owner about this with sound signals.

Organization of the cleaning process

A home robot vacuum cleaner, depending on its functionality, is included in one of the following groups:

• Cleaning only by suction power (the most economical and small models). Debris is drawn into the dust collector through a narrow slot. It is located on the bottom of the device. Due to the weak suction power compared to conventional vacuum cleaners, such an assistant can only cope with collecting light debris, dust and hair from a smooth surface.
• Powered by suction power and a turbo brush. At the bottom of such vacuum cleaners there is a rapidly rotating brush that sweeps debris into the dust collector. At the same time, air is drawn in through the slot for the turbo brush, due to which the dust cloud it creates is collected.
• Similar to previous models, but with a double turbo brush. At the bottom of such machines there are two densely spaced brushes that rotate in the opposite direction. One of them sweeps debris into the dust collector, and the second one lifts the pile of carpets. The block with brushes moves vertically under its own weight, providing more effective cleaning of carpets.
• Wet polisher - equipped with a microfiber cloth that is constantly moistened from a vessel with water (through a capillary system). The use of such a module should be preceded by dry cleaning to avoid dirt stains. It is usually produced not as a stand-alone device, but in the form of a replacement unit for units that suck up dry waste.
• A dry floor polisher, sometimes also called a robot mop due to the lack of a suction system. Using the same microfiber cloth, wipe the floor. Depending on the model, the vacuum cleaner can move debris both in front of itself and spreading it from the center of the room to the corners (with the exception of the part that settles on the cloth).
• Washing robot - characterized by the function of moistening the surface from a container of water and further collecting the resulting dirt into a special tank. This category is represented on the market by only a few models due to the rather labor-intensive maintenance of such an “assistant”.

How to make a home robot?

Devices with good functionality are usually not cheap. But what to do if you do not have the required amount, and the desire to comply with fashionable technological trends is great? The answer is simple - do it yourself. No matter how surprising it may sound, a robot created with your own hands is possible if you have the necessary information.

Tools

To complete the technical part, you should arm yourself with a soldering iron, solder, rosin and elements that will be used in the circuits. From theory, it would be nice to know what needs to be combined with what to get the desired result. What kind of robot can you get at home, you ask? Let's consider a couple of options.

Robot vacuum cleaner (home version)

Capable of gradually but thoroughly cleaning a room, this vibration robot is designed around a simple brush. The components will be a vibration motor, a standard battery and a switch. Assembly is carried out as follows: we connect the motor to the battery, and the switch to it.

We attach the resulting structure to the brush and turn it on - the home robot vibrates and thus cleans the surface.

Robot glass cleaner

Here the mechanism is more complicated. It is necessary to force the machine to move vertically. Microcontrollers will help manage the entire process. To make the device less bulky, you can connect it to the power supply and not use the battery. The cleaning mechanism will be a small motor that constantly moves the cleaning element in a circle or in opposite directions. It is convenient to attach the structure using small suction cups.

Conclusion

Life in the world of new technologies surprises us with its developments every day. And the types of assistant robots considered are not all that the market offers to the modern buyer. Recent developments present us with robots, practically family members, who can make video calls, control smart home components, entertain a child, and so on.

But don’t underestimate your ability to create home helpers. After all, a robot created with your own hands is an exclusive model, a source of pride, and generally costs more than any money. Moreover, there are a lot of options in this area. You can turn the iron into a robot that can move along the board itself. Or make it in the form of a hand attached to the ironing board and moving it. It all depends on your imagination and desire.

A person spends a significant part of his time doing such monotonous and monotonous household work as cleaning the room or working in the garden. Some people get real pleasure from this kind of activity, but for most, putting their living space in proper order is a routine, boring and not very pleasant task. Since the 50s and 60s of the last century, when the concept of a “robotic assistant” was just beginning to emerge, society was already dreaming of shifting part of its daily responsibilities to a soulless mechanized device, not subject to fatigue, stress and ready to do the dirtiest work. We are talking about robot servants and automated assistants, the prototypes of which appeared more than half a century ago.

The first mobile robot that analyzes commands and its actions

In 1966, engineers at the Center for Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University set out to create a robot endowed with the ability to independently navigate and move indoors without creating emergency situations. The project included the development of a design on a wheeled chassis with the possibility of self-learning, as well as a holistic analysis of the tasks assigned to the machine.

The device, called Shakey, was equipped with a set of sensors and a television camera to determine the current location and dimensions of objects surrounding the robot. In 1972, the Shakey project came to completion, embodying the advanced achievements of the engineers of the time in a single design. The mobile device demonstrated its capabilities in a special test pavilion consisting of several rooms connected by corridors. The robot followed the scientists' commands, pushing various objects, closing and opening doors, interacting with switches and various objects.

The promise of the algorithm embedded in Shakey prompted scientists to further work in this direction and create a number of more advanced automated mechanisms, as well as the introduction of the ability of this type of device to identify and respond to voice commands.

Cordless and autonomous lawn mowing

In 1969, MowBot Inc. introduced the world to a robotic lawn mower that operates from a built-in battery without the need to connect to a home network. The battery charge was enough to cut grass on an area of ​​650 m2. And although the $795 device was very far from modern programmable “smart” devices that can be controlled even from a smartphone, the idea of ​​getting rid of wires turned out to be very interesting and received logical development.

Full-size robot Arok: both walks the dog and takes out the trash

What “house of the future” can do without robotic servants? A similar thought came to inventor Ben Skora, who presented his vision of futuristic, considering the 70s of the last century, homes with remote-controlled lamps and other technical innovations. Not without “smart” service personnel, whose place was taken by a two-meter robot Arok with a frankly creepy face.

The tasks of the mechanized giant included taking out garbage, serving drinks and even walking your four-legged pet. Of course, having an operator to manipulate the device was a must. So the staff of servants in the “house of the future” included an additional vacancy to supervise the robot assistant.

Omnibot, a popular gaming robot in Japan: background

Readers of 3DNews are very familiar with a device called Omnibot. But much less is known about its progenitor, which became one of the most compact robots of its time - Omnibot 2000. The unusual device was released in 1984, and it represented, as it does today, a super-technological and advanced autonomous model on the market of the most unusual toys of that time.

Omnibot 2000 had the ability to be remotely controlled, but the developers also provided for completely independent movement of their brainchild along a predetermined route. All the data necessary for the programmed movement was recorded on a tape, and the robot could be used as a waiter to deliver food and drinks at a large party.

SynPet Newton: domesticated version of the “star” R2D2

If you liked the cute and sounds-making robot R2D2 from George Lucas' Star Wars saga, then you will be interested to know that between the late 80s and early 90s there was a commercial version of it for sale. analogue - SynPet Newton. Of course, this robot, approximately 86 cm high, cannot be called an exact copy of the legendary R2D2, but the similarity in design, as they say, is “obvious.”

SynPet Newton could move freely around the apartment, boasted voice control and helped with household chores. A 16-bit microprocessor chip was responsible for its performance, as well as a wide range of sensors for fully autonomous movement in accordance with the selected mode. At the same time, SynPet Newton could communicate with residents using a special voice synthesizer, and also provide communication between its owner and the outside world using a built-in wireless phone and modem.

True, only the wealthiest Americans could afford SynPet Newton, because the price of the “smart car” was a fabulous $8,000.

The crown of evolution of humanoid robots from Honda engineers

Perhaps the most famous humanoid robot today is a device from Honda called ASIMO. It took the Japanese company's engineers about ten years to eventually bring the prototype's parameters to the current limit in the form of a combination of high speed movement, extraordinary dexterity and advanced interaction with people.

ASIMO is able to greet guests with a friendly handshake and serve drinks no worse than a real waiter would do.

iRobot Roomba: responsible for the cleanliness of your home

Robot vacuum cleaners did not manage to become a common gadget in the homes of ordinary users due to their high cost. However, some models still had commercial success and took root in the apartments of their owners, as did one of the first mechanized home cleaners, iRobot Roomba. The main task of the device, which appeared on the market 12 years ago, is high-quality, and most importantly, completely autonomous cleaning of the most difficult types of floor coverings.

Humanoid robot Reem: both a loader and an information center

Have you often had to move around a station or airport building with bulky and heavy luggage, and at the same time try to find out the information necessary to board a flight? It seems that this problem in Spain, where PAL Robotics is based, prompted a team of four engineers to develop the Reem-A robot carrier.

Previously, the developers already had experience in constructing humanoid machines that take on the role of maintenance personnel. This made it possible in 2012 to introduce a commercial model of Reem with a telecontrol function, which is not only capable of carrying loads, but also acting as an information and reference kiosk.

Subsequently, the device was upgraded to the REEM-C version - both legs were returned to it, as was provided for in modifications with the index “A” and “B”.

Your personal robotic bartender for $2700

Setting aside procedures that require moving through space, lifting loads and complex mechanical manipulations, what could a small, stationary robotic device be useful for? Of course for making a variety of cocktails. The Monsieur robot has become an example of a skillful automated bartender who will not only prepare your favorite drink, but will also happily greet its owner upon returning home. For this purpose, the designers provided a function for determining your stay in the apartment using an application for a mobile device that ensures synchronization with Monsieur and apparatus control via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The system is capable of not only fulfilling orders for cocktails remotely from a smartphone or tablet, but also offering you double portions of drinks if you are late at work and have had a very busy day.

The main feature of the 23-kg box with a touch screen is the number of cocktails it can prepare for guests at your party. The device includes 12 thematic variations - “non-alcoholic party”, “sports bar”, “Irish pub” and others, each of which has about 25 recipes for various drinks.

The implementation of the robotic bartender project became possible thanks to the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform, on which the Monsieur startup collected donations totaling $140 thousand.

Startup JIBO: if you are lonely and have no one to talk to

The JIBO robot, which was loved by visitors to the Indiegogo site, which brought the creators of the device over $2 million, will become a personal, sympathetic interlocutor, a polite, submissive and encouraging listener, regardless of your current emotional state.

The so-called social behavior model characteristic of JIBO, combined with advanced hardware and software components, will allow the device to find an individual approach when communicating with each family member. The device is able to independently identify the interlocutor, as well as capture his mood in order to choose the most appropriate behavior algorithm in the current situation.

JIBO, having wireless access to the Network, will use a voice request to find recipes for various dishes for the upcoming dinner, inform you about a new letter in your email, help with purchases, and also make an appropriate joke, entertain you with a funny story and brighten up a cloudy evening with a good musical composition.

Almost anyone can get an unusual robotic friend, because the price for JIBO is only $500.

Robots on guard

An excellent way to use robotic devices is to perform security functions. And it’s true: thermal imagers, motion sensors, laser rangefinders, all kinds of cameras and “smart” systems, in theory, are capable of detecting an intruder much earlier, suspecting something is wrong and reporting a threat or an intrusion into a protected area that has already taken place, than even an experienced person would do.

And if the brainchild of specialists from Knightscope is intended for passive observation and sending an alarm signal to the control panel, then, for example, the PatrolBot Mark II security robot is ready to independently counteract the intruder. To do this, its wheeled platform is equipped with a 100 dB horn and a water gun, with which the operator can literally ruin the reputation and clothes of the offender.

“Robotologist” attended a robotics lesson and overheard what the students of the “Robot and I” club dreamed about.

Little roboticists already at the age of 7 know 3 types of levers (can you remember?) and during the lesson they assemble ready-made robots. The boys make sure that batteries are disposed of exclusively in a special box and not in a general trash bin. They, like adults, address the teacher only by name, but as “you”.

They also know that when they grow up, they will build robots to help humanity. Young engineers dream of conquering space, defeating enemies and troublemakers. Well, win in robot competitions. “Robotologist” attended a class on robotics and wrote down answers to the question about what kind of robots the kids dream of creating.

Dima Tatarinov, 8 years old

“I don’t know what kind of robot I want to make yet. But he will definitely help humanity. For example, doing calculations for scientists and flying to distant planets. When he arrives on a new planet, he will put a Russian flag there.”

Misha Fedorov, 10 years old

“I want to create a radio-controlled robot. The remote will have a screen that will show where the robot is going and what actions it is doing. This robot will issue fines for illegal parking. The robot itself will have a printer that prints fine receipts. He will be fast because he needs to manage to hand out fines before the offender leaves.”

Artem Soloviev, 8 years old

“It will be a tank that drives without a driver. No one will control it at all, I will create such a system so that the tank itself knows what to do. He will transmit the picture to the headquarters and if anything happens, you can take control on the remote control. It can also be hit by a projectile and disrupt the self-control sensor. He can shoot himself, he will have a barrel for large shells, for bombs and two machine guns. Then you can make the same plane. In general, I want to become a military man and create something to make our army stronger.”

Maxim Khotuntsev, 10 years old

“Well, I wouldn’t say that it will be exactly a robot. I would like to create a costume. He will have acid things on his sleeves, and flying things on his legs (like Tony Stark). There will be two masks on the helmet, the inner one will be scary, with glowing eyes. It will be possible to spray a toxin from it, which will make enemies feel like something strange is happening around them. He will have a sword and a flamethrower, just in case. And scorpion poison. The suit will be armored, but light. It will be called “Black Adam”, there is such a pirate.

And he will also have a thing that will slow down time. If he flies back and forth at high speed, then most likely a time portal will form in this place and, probably, I will be able to see the future. More likely."

Timofey Kuznetsov, 10 years old

“My robot will help explore black holes. People are afraid to fly there; no one knows what is there. And the robot can be sent to study some black hole. He, like a person, will think for himself, he will have artificial intelligence. I would like to develop artificial intelligence for it myself.”

Serezha Oruzheinikov, 9 years old

“I dream of building a robot that can constantly protect me from bad boys. Or it will not be a robot, but a robotic suit. He will be able to do everything, even turn into a car and run on batteries. That’s why it will be called “Defender”.

Sasha Fedorov, 8 years old

“I want to invent a robot football player for our competitions. He himself will be approximately 50 cm and will be able to kick the ball to a height of 1 meter. Maybe I can put together a few more of these, a whole team. These robots will play football until they run out of power. I think I can make such robots in 10 or 12 years.”

Arseny Rodkin, 7 years old

“My robot will help scientists so that the future comes sooner. He will create new technologies himself.

And at school I drew a pen that writes on its own, a flying backpack and a notebook that itself writes down notes for the teacher!”

Styopa Yeshukov, 11 years old

“What kind of robot do I want to invent? It depends on what topic. For our competitions (competitions based on the “Robot and I” club - editor’s note) in football - one, for the battle of robots - another. For battle, I want to build a large robot that will ride on tracks. But not on plastic ones, because the plastic will slip. He will have spikes on different sides: he will drive up, stick them into the enemy and knock out his parts. There will also be a mechanism on top that will lift other models, something like a crane.

In football competitions, control is more important, because victory does not depend much on the model itself.

And for racing I want to build a fast and well-handling model. I will put the gearbox on speed, on the rear wheels, and make the front wheels low. It will still need to be improved.”

Robots have firmly entered our modern life. They tirelessly help people in factories, in hospitals, perform complex calculations and do not need to pay wages. The time when machines will start helping us with housework or teaching children has already arrived, just not everyone knows about it yet.

1. “Social” robot “Jibo”

“Jibo” can perform a number of useful tasks: from setting an alarm, taking photographs, forecasting the weather, and ending with communicating with a person. At the same time, the robot selects intonation and phrases depending on the interlocutor. "Jibo" is already on sale for $900.

2. Robot genius “Professor Einstein”

The robot uses a cloud database to answer all sorts of questions. In addition to answering questions, “Professor Einstein” can conduct a dialogue with the interlocutor and has fifty options for facial expressions. The cost of the robot is $200.

3. Robot assistant “Aeolus”

In place of the eyes, Aeolus has special wide-angle cameras with three-dimensional sensors. Thus, the robot can vacuum cleaner, wash floors, wipe dust, wash windows and much more. It even remembers where things are in the house so that if necessary, it can be returned to its place. Despite the fact that this is still a prototype, the creators said that the development will be available for purchase this year, and the price will not be less than a family vacation abroad, no matter how much that means.

4. “Smart” home robot “Aido”

This family robot has been designed to make its interaction with people as natural and intuitive as possible. Inside the Aido there is a subwoofer and speakers for a home theater system.
Interactive interaction with people is carried out by an innovative speech recognition system. The robot can help with housework, play with children, provide home security, and even perform programmed tasks. "Aido" by Ingen Dynamic Inc. available for pre-order for $499.

5. Family Friend "Buddy"

The robot's patrol route is quite advanced. “Buddy” is able to observe both one place and move between specified points. Like the other models we mentioned earlier, Buddy boasts advanced intelligence.