As robots get more sophisticated researchers are more and more uses for our mechanical friends. One of the most common areas that scientists are looking to use robots are in areas where there is danger to human life and health. This can include hazardous work environments, war zones or disaster zones. Recently, Georgia Tech University was given a $900,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research to address a similar problem. The Navy wanted Georgia Tech to create a robot “that can complete missions in dangerous situations by utilizing the remaining debris found around the area.”
The project lead, Professor Mike Stilman, has nicknamed the android “MacGyver bot.” He explains that, “Our goal is to develop a robot that behaves like MacGyver, the television character from the 1980s who solved complex problems and escaped dangerous situations by using everyday objects and materials he found at hand.”
The purpose of the robot would be to go to affected areas like war or disaster zones. There it would locate survivors and help rebuild the destroyed area. The MacGyver bot should be able to pick up and use pieces of objects around it to use as tools. The team will be working to create software that will work well in the harsh environment and to also have cognitive skills. There is no prototype ready yet but the Georgia Tech team should have something ready for testing in the future. For now the researchers are going to create software that they will test on computers before they use it with a Stilman’s Golem Krang humanoid robot.
Source: PSFK
Photo: Mashable
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