Chiba University engineers trained two robot hands to juggle three balls in a pair. Robots track the movement of balls a thousand times per second - this is enough to accurately throw and catch them.

The main goal of the development is to teach robot hands manipulators to quickly and accurately evaluate the size of an object, its characteristics and speed. These skills will allow the device to be effective in fulfilling the tasks of automating warehouses and industrial production.

For their work, the researchers used manipulators with several segments and three fingers at the end. The algorithm, written by engineers, allowed robots to take the ball and feed it to another device along a trajectory convenient for capturing.

Both manipulators are equipped with high-speed cameras that transmit data about the location of the ball a thousand times per second. They allow robots to constantly calculate the ball’s flight path - and correct errors and change the position of the hand if the ball flies along a different path.

Earlier, engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created a thin and flexible robot that can penetrate the blood vessels of the brain and remove clots that clog them, the presence of which leads to strokes and aneurysms.

hightech.fm