When fed 3-D models of household items in bird’s-eye view (left), a new algorithm is able to guess what the objects are, and what their overall 3-D shapes should be. This image shows the guess in the center, and the actual 3-D model on the right. Credit: Courtesy of Ben Burchfiel
Robots need to guess what they’re seeing better, even when parts are hidden from view. Autonomous robots can inspect nuclear power plants, clean up oil spills in the ocean, accompany fighter planes into combat and explore the surface of Mars. Yet for all their talents, robots still can’t make a cup of tea. That’s because tasks such as turning the stove on, fetching the kettle and finding the milk and sugar require perceptual abilities that, for most machines, are still a fantasy.
Among them is the ability to make ...
Read More
Recent Comments