Boffins teach robo-arm to catch flying beer bottle Youtube Video A new robo-arm capable of catching anything that’s thrown at it – even at ultrafast speeds – has been unveiled by boffins from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The super-fast grasping hand can react on the spot, snatching items like a tennis racket, a ball or half a bottle of beer out of the …
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I'd be more impressed if it could react to the scenario in which the handle never comes in reach, meaning the only way to catch the racket is by the rim, just as we have to sometimes react to a less-than-optimal situation and fall back to just finding some way to grab it. Or with the bottle, determining that it might be best to hesitate or else the hand will grab the half-full bottle in a position best left uncaught: upside-down.
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That's pretty badass, particularly given that it does a better job than a lot of humans do. I'd like to see it done with cameras that are proximal to the robot rather than surrounding the throwing area, and without the marker balls - but it makes sense to leave that for after you get the catching bit done.
It's also unclear whether it can catch novel objects now that it's learned about different situations, or whether it has to learn objects individually and be told what it's going to get - though maybe that's just my not being awake yet.
great, but have a look at the technology used in a recycling plant. Throws an object into the air, shoots an IR beam at the polymer object, collects a spectrum, determines which polymer it is, and then uses an air gun to blow it into the right bin, whilst the the object is falling back to a high speed conveyer.
If I judge by the content of this article, if you're catching an object reflexively you are still using your brain because you need to know where the object is, thus you have to use your view and correlate with the reflexive action.
The kind of reflex you refer to is the bump on the knee thing. That does not go to the brain and if you end up kicking someone it has nothing to do with aim.
That's impressive, although perhaps the author of the piece might care to define rather more precisely "ultra fast" means as, literally speaking, it just means "beyond fast". As I'm not at all sure what the limit of "fast" is, I don't know if this is equivalent to a gentle lob, a fast bowler or a speeding bullet.
Catch a nice 90 MPH curveball, thrown by a major league pitcher. That would be an interesting feat. I'd start out small, and use a tennis ball, which can in fact curve (personal experience). It is quite amazing to watch. Surprised even me!
Of course, a nice knuckleball would be an even better test.
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