IN a bid to train robots to perform tasks in a complex environment like houses and offices, Google’s parent company Alphabet has announced that its Everyday Robot project launched in 2019 has moved some robots in Google’s offices and are making them perform small tasks like wiping tables, segregation waste and opening doors. A fleet of 100 robots are performing a range of errands, as the scientists have moved them out of the labs to make them useful in areas other than industrial zones. In a blog post, Hans Peter Brondmo, chief robot officer of the Everybody Robot project, said, “The robots that sort trash can now be equipped with a squeegee to wipe tables and those use grippers to grasp cups can learn to open doors.” Alphabet has spent the last several years developing an integrated hardware and software technology for enabling robots to learn to transfer the knowledge from the virtual to the actual world. To understand and absorb the world around them, the robots are outfitted with a variety of cameras and sensors. The robots have slowly gained a better grasp of the world around them and become more adept at executing ordinary activities using a combination of machine learning techniques such as reinforcement learning, collaborative learning and learning from demonstration. (SD-Agencies) | 