GERMANY: German researchers hope that their coffee-making, ball catching robot named Justin, will become man's new best friend

Record ID: 401524

  • Title: GERMANY: German researchers hope that their coffee-making, ball catching robot named Justin, will become man's new best friend
  • Date: 6th June 2011
  • Summary: SIGN READING "CAUTION: THIS MACHINE HAS NO BRAIN. USE YOUR OWN" WORKERS IN LAB WITH JUSTIN EXTERIOR OF GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTRE (DLR) SIGN FOR THE DLR
  • Embargoed: 21st June 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany, Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVACEVFNO79Y560UQ293NHUW4I6K
  • Story Text: He may not be able to walk or talk - but he can catch a ball, make a cup of coffee and dance. His name is Justin, a life-sized robot who German scientists hope will one day become an indispensable addition to the home.
    Justin has a head, two arms and fingers and moves on rollers. It has two cameras for eyes and is being developed by a group of researchers and scientists at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in the southern town of Oberpfaffenhofen.
    According to the scientists, Justin's newly developed mobile platform allows him to operate autonomously over long distance. Sensors are built in across the robot's body which, along with his "eyes" and an ability to sense his surroundings in three dimensions, allow him carry out commands, such as catching a ball.
    "What is special about Justin compared to most other humanoids is that he has all over his body sensors which makes it possible for him to feel, touch and give feedback to contact with the environment, for example the fingers can have contact with the objects and this allows Justin to do fine manipulation tasks," said Bertold Baeuml who is one of the scientists at the DLR who has been working on the Justin project.
    Justin's arms are lightweight and are able to move smoothly via ball joints at the shoulders, elbows and wrists. Similar technology is being used aboard the International Space Station.
    But the scientists have now developed Justin further to allow him to move and think for himself, without the use of an operator.
    "One application is when we see Justin in his space robotics. He is more or less tele-operated, maybe from the ground or the ISS or space shuttle, so there he is not very autonomous. Another application area is industrial robotics where he has to be a little bit more autonomous, but he still is closely working together with humans to perform complex tasks and because this robot is able to sense touch and behave in a compliant way, it is possible to closely work together with humans without danger," said Baeuml.
    Baeuml and his team think that a self-thinking humanoid like Justin could allow for humans and robots to work much more closely together, especially in the home.
    "So the rolling Justin is especially suited for its service robotics so in the future we think that everyone will have a robot at home. Especially elderly people can be helpfully assisted like this for example to reach cups on a higher cupboard for example so there the robot has to be quite autonomous and behave in a sensible way," he said.
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