The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is leading an ambitious new project to reinvent how robots are designed and produced. Funded by a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the project will aim to develop a desktop technology that would make it possible for the average person to design, customize and print a specialized robot in a matter of hours.
“This research envisions a whole new way of thinking about the
design and manufacturing of robots, and could have a profound impact on
society,” said MIT Professor Daniela Rus, leader of the project and a
principal investigator at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial
Intelligence Lab (CSAIL). “We believe that it has the potential to
transform manufacturing and to democratize access to robots.”
“Our goal is to develop technology that enables anyone to
manufacture their own customized robot. This is truly a game changer,”
said Professor Vijay Kumar, who is leading the team from the University
of Pennsylvania. “It could allow for the rapid design and manufacture of
customized goods, and change the way we teach science and technology in
high schools.”
The five-year project, called “An Expedition in Computing for
Compiling Printable Programmable Machines,” brings together a team of
researchers from MIT, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard
University, and is funded as part of the NSF’s “Expeditions in
Computing” program.
“Our vision is to develop an end-to-end process; specifically, a
compiler for building physical machines that starts with a high level of
specification of function, and delivers a programmable machine for that
function using simple printing processes,” said Rus.
Researchers hope to create a platform that would allow an
individual to identify a household problem that needs assistance; then
head to a local printing store to select a blueprint, from a library of
robotic designs; and then customize an easy-to-use robotic device that
could solve the problem. Within 24 hours, the robot would be printed,
assembled, fully programmed and ready for action.
By altering the way in which machines can be produced, designed and
built, the project could have far reaching implications for a variety
of fields.
"This project aims to dramatically reduce the development time for a
variety of useful robots, opening the doors to potential applications
in manufacturing, education, personalized healthcare, and even disaster
relief,” said Rob Wood, an associate professor at Harvard University.
Currently, project researchers are focusing their research in
several areas: developing an application programming interface for
simple function specification and design, writing algorithms that would
allow for control of the assembly of a device and its operations,
creating an easy-to-use programming language environment, and designing
new, programmable materials that would allow for automatic fabrication
of robots.
Thus far, the research team has prototyped two machines for
designing, printing and programming, including an insect-like robot that
could be used for exploring a contaminated area and a gripper that
could be used by people with limited mobility.
“It’s really exciting to think about the kind of impact this work
could have on the general population – beyond just a few select people
who work in robotics,” said Associate Professor Wojciech Matusik, also a
principal investigator at CSAIL.
In addition to Rus, other research collaborators from CSAIL include
Visiting Scientist Martin Demaine, Associate Professor Wojciech
Matusik, Professor Martin Rinard, and Assistant Professor Sangbae Kim of
MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. The team also includes
Professor Vijay Kumar (who is leading the team from the University of
Pennsylvania, which includes Associate Professor Andre DeHon, Professor
Sanjeev Khanna and Professor Insup Lee), and Associate Professor Rob
Wood from Harvard University.
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