Robot and robotechnology news
01.01.1970 //the RFID- controlled robots will guide by peace.
Visualize typical play area. A sunny day stands, and children play in salki, they will peel on teterbolam and dangle on "rukokhodakh". It is nowhere evidently not one parent or adult, but the children observes robot with increase about the meter and with the weight of 117 kg. If we get accustomed ourselves, then it will seem that the children bear compact electronic devices, miniature radio transmitters, which signal to the robot, when child is moved away up to the dangerous distance. The robot, equipped with video camera, transfers image into the remote observation point. When stranger approaches to someone of the children, the remote-controlled robot becomes aggressive. It pursues neproshenogo guest on its six wheels, it blinks by headlights, it howls by siren and will erupt the clubs of smoke. Moreover of kiberokhrannik it makes several photographs. You will say that thus far it is still far? Possibly, only Japanese company Secom already created this machine - Robot X it passes robot- bodyguard to the lease for $2700 per month, and it recently let out the version for the observation of the school areas, which reports about the location of children to parents to the cell phone. To someone the idea of robot- bodyguard for the schoolboys can seem brilliant, while someone - absurd, but Robot X befits not only for the protection of children's areas. This is one of several significant attempts to supply robots with sensory organs, which would allow them better to interact with the people and the surrounding objects with the aid of RFID (radio frequency identification) - the technology of electronic identification, which during last year received wide acceptance in the libraries, the prisons, the hospitals, the stores, the airports, the troops, at the industrial enterprises and on the storages. And, certainly, it comes into the schools. "in reality we thus far even do not represent that this after technology, says the leader of the Canadian company Frontline Robotics robes Richards. - its field of applications are limitless ". This concept already took several minds. Scientists in Germany, Japan and USA see the myriads of the applications of the mobile robots, controlled by means of RFID. The docent of the university of the state of Utah experiments with one of them, intended for tracking the blind in the store, this robot helps them to be oriented among the counters and to find necessary goods. Others hope that the technology in the course of time will help families to look after the aged relatives or the invalids, to resound medicines in the hospital and to carry out work on the house. For example, German Infineon Technologies uses RFID for the production of the teutonic version of the vacuum cleaner Roomba of company iRobot popular in THE USA. Machine Infineon is supplied with counter RFID, and in the operating mode with the "clever carpet", into which are stitched markers RFID, robot will pass not one crumb or speck, going around floor along the most effective route. The California company Accenture considers that this technology will make more interesting than the toy and games. Visualize the doll, which distinguishes accessories and it can require new, or it reveals other toys and reacts on them. To play from this Barbi will tire never. In the past year IBM it patented the swivel machine, equipped with the locating system of Wi- fie and with counter RFID. It must help stores and enterprises of news the calculation of goods and inventory. But in research laboratory Mitsubishi Electric robots they combine with systems RFID and photosensitive devices for the manipulation with tools on the assembly lines. Hewlett-Packard adds to this even ultrasound with the super wide-band radio-technology. However, you do not hurry into the store after the "clever toy" or the robot- assistant for shoppinga: all these technologies will reach us only in years. Today commercial RFID- robots it is very small. Cost and technical limitations thus far interfere with their arrival for the mass market. "robots with RFID- markers can be today met mainly at the demonstrations; we are still very distant from the practical commercial applications, says Vice President on marketing of the producer of equipment RFID ThingMagic Kevin Of ashton. - but the idea, undoubtedly, promising ". One of the major issues consists in the fact that for detecting something or someone to robot is necessary that on this object there would be marker RFID. Markers consist of radio antenna and micro-chip. They do not have their own power source, but with the scanning by special counter they transfer unique ordinal number. In last year, when prices of technology RFID fell, and appeared technical standards, companies supplied with thousands of markers everything in the light - from the chips in the casino to the library books. According to forecast In -Stat, the incomes from sale of markers RFID in entire peace will grow with $300 million in 2004 to $2,8 billion into 2009. Robot on the storage however in order to appear on the objects of daily custom, marker they must become much cheaper. Today they can cost from 15 cents azh to $100. With such prices of riteylery and the producers of consumer goods use radios-marker for the containers or the pans, which makes it possible to keep account of goods on the storage. However, markers RFID will not appear on the separate tubes with the tooth paste and the packets with the noses, until price descends below 5 cents. But thus far still several years. This is why IBM it creates special RFID- robot for the warehouse accomodations. "houses everything must be supplied with markers. This is obstacle for the output to the consumer market, says the scientific worker of the research laboratory IBM im. Watson David Wood. - Therefore we deal with storage. Here implicated large money ". This is not exaggeration. Wal- March, which actively invests in RFID for its highly technological chain of deliveries, put in the technology of approximately $3 billion. Other large retail networks, including Albertsons, Target, British Tesco and German Metro Group, construct its own plans in relation RFID. But robot IBM - thus far only prototype. Company arrived at this idea after the session of a brainstorm with the participation of specialists on RFID from the laboratory im. Watson and local service group. Scientists judged, that when the companies will mark by RFID- markers everything, they are encountered problem. It is necessary either to hire people, which would walk with the counter on the storage or to establish the expensive counters throughout entire accomodation. And they selected the third version - mobile RFID- robot, capable of being oriented. "after change it can systematically go around the accomodation of storage and make the complete inventory of all reserves", says Richards from Frontline Robotics, which works at the similar system. In the past year the probationer from the Univeristy of Michigan gathered for IBM prototype, using mainly the commercial accessible components: noutbuk IBM ThinkPad, counter RFID from Intermec Technologies and locating system for the accomodations of the Finnish company Ekahau. As strictly the robot in the prototype was used vacuum cleaner Roomba. "we took out the mechanism of vacuum cleaner so that it would work it would noiselessly and consume less than the energy", explained Wood. IBM tries to patent, in particular, the program, developed for increasing the accuracy of orientation along system Ekahau. Company with the impatience awaits answer from bureaus of the patents OF THE USA, but are still more - the reactions of customers. There are no plans of the production of commercial systems as yet. "we discussed this with some customers, but 4 I cannot name them", said Wood. The young company Frontline wants one of North America's first to let out commercial accessible RFID- robot. It conducts negotiations with the important producer of radios-marker, who supplies technology for Wal- March. Richards, operating director Frontline, do not call him, but it hopes that this in autumn company they will sign the agreement, which will allow them to connect their technologies. In this case to the spring of the future year Frontline it will be able to produce thousands of devices. Richards asserts that Wal- March is interested in robot; however, representative Wal- March denies this. "we in no way and not in what form we are occupied by robots", said the representative of company To kristi Galakher. Recently Wal- March denied also report eWeek, in which it was indicated that there they experience the robot, created at the university of the state of Utah, for tracking the blind in the store and search for them for products. During May eWeek she wrote that the manager of store Wal- March next to the university confirmed that they have this robot. Attorneys Wal- March for some reason painfully relate to this. They were connected with the university apropos of article eWeek, after which the researchers refuted their previous statements about the degree of interest Wal- March by this technology. However, Frontline does not count on Wal- March or other retail outlet networks. It presents its robots just as Japanese Secom, as highly technological guards. Richards said that the company already collaborates with the government of Canada, several airports and foreign military customer. "robots can patrol accomodation considerably more effective than people, says Richards. - they do not ring on the cell phone and do not fill up. And so it is not terrible, if of them anything happens ". Specialists on RFID, including very knowing people from Accenture and HP, say, that RFID- robots can so not become popular, at least in some of those regions, which now come to the mind. First, the technology of orientation in the accomodation, the main component of the system of warehouse calculation, it is difficult to realize, and it only is developed. In the second place, mobile autonomous robots are relatively clumsy, are complex roads. "the greater mechanical moving parts, the higher the probability of failure, says the chief technologist on RFID of laboratory NR in the Bollard- altos it greased Vizhaykumar Of pradkhan (Salil Vijaykumar Pradhan). - in the commercial and corporate media it is possible to find the more practical solutions ". In his opinion, robots more useful, where there is no infrastructure, for example on Mars or in the battlefield in Iraq. But at the plants, on the storages and in the stores already there is a sufficient infrastructure. Why to be conveyed with the robot, if it is possible to fasten counter RFID to the electric car or the basket for the purchases, which nevertheless do drive? "personally me always enraptured robots; they have enormous potential, says Pradkhan. - but they do not befit in all cases of life. If there is the simpler solution, then it is more preferable ".