Robots are similar to puppets in the sense that humans with the right experience, knowledge and skills can control both of them given the right tools.

Rescue robots could be incredibly useful tools in the future, diving into situations too dangerous for humans. But if you’ve seen current-generation robots try to tackle these sorts of scenarios, you’ll know even the most advanced lack the coordination and flexibility of movement required. To fix this, a group of researchers from Japan are trying a new method of robot-control, letting a human operate a bot essentially like a giant puppet.

This is an extremely interesting new approach given that breakthroughs in this field take a long time and teaching a robot how to walk and perform complex functions is still mostly out of reach of today's programming capabilities. This leaves another sort of approach which is akin to how a pilot maneuvers a drone, a man can puppet a robot.

This sort of remote control system isn’t new, and usually comes under a branch of research known as “telepresence.” However, scientists from the University of Tokyo say their method (presented last month at the IROS conference) is more advanced than predecessors’. Earlier systems used smaller robots or only controlled the upper half of the bot; theirs controls an entire robot as big as an adult human, using controllers from HTC virtual reality Vive system.

Now we are entering a new world which may have similiarities to what you have seen in mech warrior games or movies like 'Gamer' where people control other people in a sort of adult fantasy land.

The potential for applications of human controlled robots is huge. We could use this technology to clean up radioactive waste sites like Fukishima or enter natural protected areas without disturbing wildlife.

Take a look here at this video of this system and see what you think!

https://www.facebook.com/verge/videos/1596765323693138/

Techblogger Wrap Up

Are you impressed with this new hybrid human robot system? What applications do you think this technology will have in our world? Is this a field that you think should be expanded or should scientists continue to focus on the field of simply making robots more skilled in performing human activities?

Lets get this discussion going!

Please leave thoughts and feedback below and thanks for reading!

Source:
Scientists use HTC Vive controllers to operate this rescue robot like a puppet - The Verge