R1, the first robot for families: ” It will cost as much as a new generation TV ” – The Republic

” SARA ‘a reassuring and pleasant robots. “With these words, a year and a half ago, Giorgio Metta in the Republic announced the beginning of a great project: to bring the humanoid robots in Italian homes. today, under his coordination, that dream has a name: R1-your personal and is the first humanoid robot developed at low cost, designed to reach the mass market. a team of 32 researchers and designers Italian Institute of Technology ( iit), center of excellence in Italy and in the world, have succeeded in creating a humanoid at the cost of a next-generation TV. and to complete the goal just missing a step: mass production. But we do not take a long, up to 18 months and we will see him scampering around the world. a handyman with wheels . R1 will be a trusted friend who will help with the housework or office work. We will see him at the hotel behind the reception desk or in the hospital to help to nurse and head nurse in the management of folders and data. At first we will have to teach everything from the environment to the plan of placing objects. But in a short time he will be able to move independently, recognizing environments, faces and voices and taking actions in our place. How to make a coffee or pick up the remote for us, without getting off the couch.

“We are squeezed their brains to reduce costs while maintaining high quality. – Explains Metta – We have tried to make it less expensive by using cheap materials, such as polymers and plastics, which require less costly production processes compared to the traditional ones. “
The final price depends on how many robots will be constructed. ” For the first 100 prototypes we have identified a target price which is around 25 thousand euro. Beyond this threshold, the price will start to fall and will continue to decline as they become a consumer product. The band, more or less final, the price will be EUR 3 thousand, since the cost of a modern plasma TV ”.

Previous . R1 is the result of a long process of experimentation and research that brings together the knowledge gained by researchers with the creation of other robots, in particular iCub: the humanoid built for Artificial Intelligence, present today all over the world with 30 prototypes. Compared to him and other humanoids in circulation, however, the differences are many: “iCub is a research product in which the price was not important. R1 instead is an attempt to approach the mass market where price becomes key issue “says Giorgio Metta, manager and coordinator of the project.

and even with the famous humanoid robot Pepper, which has recently been adopted on cruise ships, the comparison does not hold water because R1 has the gift of taking . In Pepper hands only serve to indicate or make gestures but not to take actions. To achieve R1, however, researchers have focused precisely on the possibility of doing so interact with the outside world through the use of the upper limbs, giving it the ability to grasp objects, open drawers or doors. Additional value compared to existing alternatives on the market, that provide a place of honor among the home handyman.

the hands and forearms R1 are covered with artificial leather, with sensors that give the robot a sense of touch, enabling you to “feel” the interaction with the objects they manipulate. The drawing of the hands has been simplified compared to that of iCub to provide strength and low costs, while allowing performing simple household tasks. They have the form of two mittens and wrist is spherical, aspects that allow him to lift weights up to 1.5 kg and fully close the socket around what grabs, especially cylindrical objects such as glasses and bottles. But that’s not all.

Anatomy of a robot . From head to the wheels, R1 is a concentration of advanced technology. The face is a color LED screen on which the stylized expressions: a few appear, simple strokes for a quick and easy way to communicate with the man. Inside, instead, the screen houses the sensors for the vision, – two cameras and a 3D scanner – those for the balance and for the generation and perception of sound. The body is extendable and “articulated”, with the torso that extends up to 140 centimeters and the torso twists also laterally. Same goes for the mechanical arts, who can earn up to 13 cm. In the ” ” belly, instead, they are placed three computers that govern the ability of the robot, from the calculation to the movement of the head, until the control of all the sensors. One wireless card allows the robot to connect to the Internet, obtaining information to interaction with humans and software updates.

The memory of a lifetime. L ‘ idea is that these machines become the center of all our digital communication: maintain the agenda, help us to optimize the planning, become our interface with other everyday tools. ” As the robot will stay with us, will begin to have memory of everything we do and we have done together. Maybe, one day, will have the memory of all our lives and I can request access to memories, including photos and video, “says Metta. And at this point it is appropriate to say, the revolution will be entered into the house.