Thanks to the sensors mounted on the robot, the user has a virtual control room in front of his eyes, from which he can give commands to the device
Virtual reality represents the future, even in the field of one of the pillars on which Industry 4.0 is built: automation. MIT, for example, has developed a robot, called Baxter, which is controlled with a VR visor: the system allows humans to “enter” the machine.
Baxter was created by CSAIL, an acronym for Computer Science and Artiticial Intelligence Lab, and is a robot designed to be guided with the support of virtual reality. The technology allows the operator to move and shift Baxter’s mechanical arms, or perform other tasks, through a VR visor and controller. Thanks to sensors mounted on the robot, in fact, the user is in front of his eyes a virtual control room, from which he can issue commands to the device. In practice, it is as if the operator were the robot himself: Baxter is equipped with several cameras, mounted on the “head” and on the two mechanical arms.
Baxter, the virtual robot
The innovative device developed by CSAIL researchers allows to control the machine through virtual reality and without any physical contact. In the VR visor, the robot’s sensors project images and the virtual control room allows the user to guide the two arms. On the screen, via the cameras, the contents are shown in subjective view, a system that gives the operator the feeling of being inside the machine.
In addition, other images are also shown in the viewer, alongside those recorded by the “eyes of the robot.” Sensors built into Baxter’s two arms provide multiple points of view. To move Baxter’s arms or give other commands, the user simply moves virtual spheres, visible in the viewer, using the controller.
What you can do with Baxter
With Baxter, you can accomplish many tasks, even those that require a certain degree of precision, such as moving very small objects from side to side. Virtual technology, therefore, is becoming increasingly important in industry. And in the next few years, it could also be used in automation.