How robots learn to sense and explore

Robotics is the study and practice of designing, building, operating, and using robots, often to assist people in different fields. What helps robots sense their surroundings, learn from information, and explore, and how can you understand the systems that make this possible? The lessons connect touch, sensing, control, movement, and exploration to show how robots learn about the world around them.

3 articles, 1 video, 1 book · about 1 hr 1 min of reading and viewing

The reading path

1. Read
   

   robotics · Wikipedia · 38 min read

   Evolutionary robotics uses evolutionary computation to design robots' body forms, motion, or behavior controllers. Over time, a population improves through competition and replacement, and a satisfactory robot may appear without direct human intervention. Robotics research by Marc Raibert at the MIT Leg Laboratory demonstrated very dynamic walking with several robots built in the 1980s. A one-legged robot with a very small foot could stay upright by hopping, jumping slightly in the direction it fell to catch itself.

2. Read
   

   Robots Get a Feel for the World - Neuroscience News · Neuroscience News · 4 min read

   Robots equipped with tactile sensors can identify materials through touch, paving the way for more useful prostheses. With the right sensors, actuators and software, robots can be given the ability to identify different materials by touch.

3. Read
   

   Robot Explores Under-Ice Habitats in the Arctic - Eos · Eos · 4 min read

   Robotics engineer Christopher German, co-principal investigator for the design and construction of NUI and science lead for the NUI Arctic dives, explained that NUI uses "the real-time video and other sensor feedback" to enable scientists to explore in real time and react to the unexpected.

4. Watch
   

   This Unstoppable Robot Could Save Your Life · YouTube · 15 min watch

   A robot with a simple design inspired by a plant can be used in archaeology, space exploration, and search and rescue.

5. Book
   

   Robot Dreams · Bookshop.org

   Robot Dreams by Isaac Asimov is a collection of short stories in which Asimov describes robotics through fiction.

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