 |
| |
|
| |
BattleBot:
Mechadon, built by Mark Setrakian. Team Sinsiter of Los Angeles, CA.
Photo courtesy of Gary Gay
© 2000 BattleBots,
Inc. |
Even for robots, life isn’t
all work and no play. An enthusiastic sub-culture of robotics professionals
and hobbyists design and build robots of their own. In games and contests
around the world, these robots match wits and might.
Robot Wars is a combat
game that pits robot against robot in a fight to the death. The radio-controlled
machines are armed with drills, saws, projectiles and other means of
destruction. Victory goes to the robot that renders its opponent immobile.
Spectators cheer on the contenders from behind an 8-foot Plexiglas wall–for
their own protection.
|
A
Robot’s Best Friend
 Tired
of frequent walks and dog hair on the couch? Sony’s robotic
dog, AIBO, may be for you.
If
you’re thinking of the remote-controlled dogs you’ve seen
at Toys ‘R Us, think again. AIBO is a sophisticated and autonomous
robot that can hear and see; it also has a sense of balance and
touch. Eighteen specialized motors allow such dog-like motions as
rolling over, scratching, playing dead, and chasing a pink ball.
Like
a puppy, AIBO is initially clumsy. With time and training, it develops
finesse in its movements and takes on unique behavior patterns.
Programmed to seek companionship,  AIBO
simulates emotions like happiness, surprise, and anger and can respond
to verbal commands.
|
|
| |
|
Here at The Tech, teams of
students design robotic solutions to tricky problems in the Tech Challenge.
Each year, a new challenge is issued, such as replacing the battery of
an orbiting satellite or scaling the vertical wall of a Martian crater.
Competitors must design and build a device that does the job, and prizes
are awarded for speed, creativity, and technological innovation. For those
whose creations are not quite up to the challenge, a prize is still possible:
Most Spectacular Failure.
| |
|
| |
Bay
Area students take The Tech Challenge. |
Robots gather each year to
play soccer at RoboCup, an international event that draws over 100 teams
from 35 countries. Robotic players use radio signals to coordinate with
their teammates to chase down the ball, pass, and shoot goals. Teams are
placed in various divisions based on size, ranging from the size of a
pizza box down to less than 2 inches across. There’s also a division
in which teams are made up entirely of Aibo, Sony’s robotic dog.
(See sidebar.) The organizers of RoboCup have an ambitious goal: By 2050,
develop a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots that can beat the human
world champion team in soccer
Like human forms of play, robot
play is far from pointless. A hard-playing robot is not much different
than a hard-working robot. Both involve design challenges and the need
to coordinate sensors, artificial muscle, intelligent programming, and
the efficient use of power.
|
