8 ms·

Humanoid construction robot installs drywall

76 points by mavci 8y ago

purplezooey 8y ago
But can it apply skip trowel... that is the question
- forgotAgain 8y ago
  Ha, ha and sand it smooth.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
felipemnoa 8y ago
Slowly but surely we are getting there. This made me think of when digital cameras first came to market. Nobody took them seriously at first. I would not be surprised at all if within 10 or 20 years we have humanoid robots like these, but improved several orders of magnitude, available on the market. It will be another technological revolution. If it can do chores I will certainly be the first on line to buy my first model.
- imaginenore 8y ago
  10 years is a long long time. These robots will be useful long before.
- java-man 8y ago
  I hope to see robots like this - or not humanoid at all - at the recycling centers sorting. There is no reason for humans to work there.
  - ofrzeta 8y ago
    There is. It is much harder to categorise materials.
    - java-man 8y ago
      these robots may not be limited to narrow band of human vision. multi-spectral cameras, RF, magnetic, xray backscatter, Geiger counter.
      - gammatrigono 8y ago
        And humans won't?
      - ofrzeta 8y ago
        That's a valid remark, although it is very general. For instance Geiger counters might not help with the actual problem of sorting in recycling centers. I would be interested in the actual available sensors for discerning the materials in question, say between a glass bottle and a plastic bottle. Are there sensors that can discern between Polyethylene, Polypropylene etc. ?
        java-man 8y ago
        I would say differences in IR absorption might be used, for example, [0] [0] https://www.osapublishing.org/jnirs/viewmedia.cfm?uri=jnirs-10-4-247 https://www.osapublishing.org/jnirs/viewmedia.cfm?uri=jnirs-...
  - slapshot 8y ago
    Single stream recycling is largely solved. Unsurprisingly, humanoid form factors aren't optimized for conveyor flows of materials. Lots of gates, air puffers, filters, size categorizers, etc. Maybe you could add an arm at the end, but there's no reason for the legs and torso of a humanoid robot. Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODu2kbpVSXg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODu2kbpVSXg
    - java-man 8y ago
      Thank you for posting this video! Very interesting. As for robots, I was envisioning a sort of multi-tentacle thing that hangs over the conveyor, with multiple cameras and manipulators that can quickly extend, grab a piece, and drop it into an appropriate bin. No need to have a humanoid form of course.
  - Yetanfou 8y ago
    The humans who found jobs at those recycling centres might not cheer on you for automating away yet another job opportunity for them. Eventually there won't be any 'simple' jobs left while the supply of 'simple-job' people is unlikely to dwindle. What are they going to do then?
    - java-man 8y ago
      I am sure there are better things to do than sort garbage, no? For starters, someone has to maintain those robots :-)
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
yardie 8y ago
Installing drywall is unsurprisingly easy. Just that just needs a driver, a jack and a bucket of screws. And the sheets are large enough where you can cover a room with just a dozen. What eats up time is the taping and mudding. It's what sets an abject amateur from a pro.
- crescentfresh 8y ago
  My god when I saw the title I thought how awesome it will be to see mudding automated. I was disappoint. I'm just starting on drywalling a repaired section of my basement. I'm only at the "get the drywall from the hardware store to the basement" phase, already that was hard enough and that was the easiest part. Ugh.
  - bachbach 8y ago
    Look up Myron Ferguson's 'Drywall' book - it's the bible on it.
  - toasterlovin 8y ago
    Mudding is a fucking pain in the ass. There's no other way to describe the utter frustration of what you are about to embark on.
- DougWebb 8y ago
  It also requires a lot of careful thought, observation, and planning if you want to get a flat wall that will be easy to tape, mud, and paint, and will look good when it's complete. Like all skills, there's a big gap between "easy enough for an amateur to do an amateur job" and "results worth paying an experienced professional to do a professional job." Until we have real general AI, robots will not be capable of the latter outside of tightly constrained situations, like assembly lines.
- nvahalik 8y ago
  Installing drywall in this sort of set-up is pretty easy. When you've got to cut holes for electrical or cabling, move around curves, do ceilings or use hoists to get stuff up... things become a lot more cumbersome and tedious.
TaylorAlexander 8y ago
It’s a cool demo. We’re definitely getting better at making humanoids. I would guess this is a pretty “hard coded” demo designed to work for this exact room setup only. It’s going to be some time before we have the machine intelligence necessary to do enough for this robot to find a toolbox on its own, retrieve the necessary tools, unload the drywall from a truck, carry it to the room in question, install it, and complain about OSHA all autonomously. Still, I’ve never seen this before. We are making progress. Just keep in mind that an actual robot that would do this commercially is probably 20 years away. Someone else said 10-20, and I’m inclined to think 20+ is more realistic. As in, you hire robots for your construction because it’s cheaper/better.
- deevolution 8y ago
  Im optimistic about 10 years... even if they are slow and clunky theyd be able to work 24/7 whereas human works cant or at least be optimized for tasks that are more difficult or dangerous for a human to perform. They might only take up 1% of the work force but i think that number will grow quickly
- sandov 8y ago
  >It’s going to be some time before we have the machine intelligence necessary to do enough for this robot to find a toolbox on its own, retrieve the necessary tools, unload the drywall from a truck, carry it to the room in question, install it, and complain about OSHA all autonomously. I don't think it's necessary to develop machine intelligence to do some of those tasks. The toolbox could could emit EM pulses so the robot can find it, the tools could be put in a specific order and put back the same way by the robot, the drywall could have easy-to-remove arrow stickers so the robot knows how to find it's borders, etc.
  - asdkhadsj 8y ago
    That actually brings up an interesting concept that never occurred to me. We could get automation of complex tasks far earlier than I had thought. We're at this divide where we're getting capable with our understanding of motion and mechanics, but intelligently figuring things out is a massive roadblock. What if, as you say, we make very dumb robots where their interaction with the world has been entirely laid out by humans. Ie, a humanoid robot making toast seems difficult. Yet if we give it the exact dimensions of the room, rf sensors for locations of shelving, cabinets, bread, etc, it seems possible with our current tech that the robot could be programmed to handle dynamic environments as long as the inputs were laid out ahead of time. There's limited value in something like toast making, defining the inputs would be a hassle. Yet, for house building, or factory automation, if every piece, shape, location and dimension was known it seems a fleet of robots could build a house with quickness and ease, no "intelligence" needed. Humans would need to lay a foundation to a spec of dimensions, but then the bots could go nuts. Neat!
ofrzeta 8y ago
Doesn't make much sense to me. Apart from the fact that a humanoid could walk to the workplace – which it probably can't. For the actual task it would be much easier to use a non-humanoid with a carriage and several axes. Also it is a bit of a hoax because the whole humanoid reporting kind of suggests the robot is autonomous while one the image you can see a camera mounted on top of the wall and there's probably some huge computer in the back. EDIT: Here's some actual information about the project: https://www.aist.go.jp/aist_j/press_release/pr2018/pr20180927/pr20180927.html https://www.aist.go.jp/aist_j/press_release/pr2018/pr2018092...
- 6nf 8y ago
  It's a tech demo, and it's a damn impressive one at that. The reporting just isn't great.
- david-cako 8y ago
  A benefit is having a multipurpose robot that can perform a variety of tasks that humans do using similar tools and techniques that we already use. I'm sure there's cases where that makes more sense than having more purpose-built machines.
- function_seven 8y ago
  > For the actual task it would be much easier to use a non-humanoid with a carriage and several axes. True, but I think the idea is that you would be able to download the TileSetter update and use the same robot to finish the backsplash in the kitchen. Then, with the newly-released CoverWall module, you can put that robot to work gluing and applying wallpaper with perfect, no-seam precision. A carriage and several axes probably wouldn't handle the manipulation of wall coverings that diverse.
Animats 8y ago
Very nice. I'd like to see the video with no breaks or cuts, though. It's interesting to see this done as a job for which the robot does not have enough manipulators. This would be easier with two hands to handle the board and one hand to apply the fasteners. On a production line, you'd have some way to keep the workpiece firmly in place while inserting fasteners. But they did it the hard way, with a humanoid form and only loose control over the workpiece. Which is what humans do. They often just push workpieces against a fixed object for guidance rather than go for full clamping.
madeuptempacct 8y ago
These things will be in prod in 5-10 years. Same with autonomous cars. Goodbye 5-10% of all jobs. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/employment-by-industry-1910-and-2015.htm https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/employment-by-industry-191...
stewfortier 8y ago
Whenever I see humanoid robots, I’m always reminded of this TechLoaf joke: https://www.techloaf.io/2018/06/05/a-i-scores-sweet-summer-job-as-lifeguard/ https://www.techloaf.io/2018/06/05/a-i-scores-sweet-summer-j...
chiph 8y ago
So humans aren't the only ones that have problems with collated screw guns. (You need to apply firm pressure until the screw is driven. Which might not happen if the bit is worn, or the screw in the plastic tape didn't get aligned correctly, or one of many other problems that can happen)
TallGuyShort 8y ago
Ah - but can the robot exceed time and budget estimates, do a shoddy job and then weasel it's way out of warranty obligations? Jobs are safe, everybody - there will be a few more unions who will lobby for bans on robotic drywallers because of some made up safety reason.
- gonzo41 8y ago
  If anything, it sounds like the solution would be every laborer gets a clip board and gets to supervise a robot doing the job they used to do. Obesity will be an ongoing issue for humanity.
sumayamanzoor 8y ago
Thanks for the content loaded with lots of new info. https://www.fita.in/selenium-training-in-chennai/ https://www.fita.in/selenium-training-in-chennai/ https://www.fita.in/big-data-hadoop-training-in-chennai/ https://www.fita.in/big-data-hadoop-training-in-chennai/

76 points by mavci 8y ago

purplezooey 8y ago

But can it apply skip trowel... that is the question

forgotAgain 8y ago
Ha, ha and sand it smooth.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

felipemnoa 8y ago

Slowly but surely we are getting there. This made me think of when digital cameras first came to market. Nobody took them seriously at first. I would not be surprised at all if within 10 or 20 years we have humanoid robots like these, but improved several orders of magnitude, available on the market. It will be another technological revolution. If it can do chores I will certainly be the first on line to buy my first model.

imaginenore 8y ago
10 years is a long long time. These robots will be useful long before.
java-man 8y ago
I hope to see robots like this - or not humanoid at all - at the recycling centers sorting. There is no reason for humans to work there.
- ofrzeta 8y ago
  There is. It is much harder to categorise materials.
  - java-man 8y ago
    these robots may not be limited to narrow band of human vision. multi-spectral cameras, RF, magnetic, xray backscatter, Geiger counter.
    - gammatrigono 8y ago
      And humans won't?
    - ofrzeta 8y ago
      That's a valid remark, although it is very general. For instance Geiger counters might not help with the actual problem of sorting in recycling centers. I would be interested in the actual available sensors for discerning the materials in question, say between a glass bottle and a plastic bottle. Are there sensors that can discern between Polyethylene, Polypropylene etc. ?
      - java-man 8y ago
        I would say differences in IR absorption might be used, for example, [0] [0] https://www.osapublishing.org/jnirs/viewmedia.cfm?uri=jnirs-10-4-247 https://www.osapublishing.org/jnirs/viewmedia.cfm?uri=jnirs-...
- slapshot 8y ago
  Single stream recycling is largely solved. Unsurprisingly, humanoid form factors aren't optimized for conveyor flows of materials. Lots of gates, air puffers, filters, size categorizers, etc. Maybe you could add an arm at the end, but there's no reason for the legs and torso of a humanoid robot. Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODu2kbpVSXg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODu2kbpVSXg
  - java-man 8y ago
    Thank you for posting this video! Very interesting. As for robots, I was envisioning a sort of multi-tentacle thing that hangs over the conveyor, with multiple cameras and manipulators that can quickly extend, grab a piece, and drop it into an appropriate bin. No need to have a humanoid form of course.
- Yetanfou 8y ago
  The humans who found jobs at those recycling centres might not cheer on you for automating away yet another job opportunity for them. Eventually there won't be any 'simple' jobs left while the supply of 'simple-job' people is unlikely to dwindle. What are they going to do then?
  - java-man 8y ago
    I am sure there are better things to do than sort garbage, no? For starters, someone has to maintain those robots :-)

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

yardie 8y ago

Installing drywall is unsurprisingly easy. Just that just needs a driver, a jack and a bucket of screws. And the sheets are large enough where you can cover a room with just a dozen. What eats up time is the taping and mudding. It's what sets an abject amateur from a pro.

crescentfresh 8y ago
My god when I saw the title I thought how awesome it will be to see mudding automated. I was disappoint. I'm just starting on drywalling a repaired section of my basement. I'm only at the "get the drywall from the hardware store to the basement" phase, already that was hard enough and that was the easiest part. Ugh.
- bachbach 8y ago
  Look up Myron Ferguson's 'Drywall' book - it's the bible on it.
- toasterlovin 8y ago
  Mudding is a fucking pain in the ass. There's no other way to describe the utter frustration of what you are about to embark on.
DougWebb 8y ago
It also requires a lot of careful thought, observation, and planning if you want to get a flat wall that will be easy to tape, mud, and paint, and will look good when it's complete. Like all skills, there's a big gap between "easy enough for an amateur to do an amateur job" and "results worth paying an experienced professional to do a professional job." Until we have real general AI, robots will not be capable of the latter outside of tightly constrained situations, like assembly lines.
nvahalik 8y ago
Installing drywall in this sort of set-up is pretty easy. When you've got to cut holes for electrical or cabling, move around curves, do ceilings or use hoists to get stuff up... things become a lot more cumbersome and tedious.

TaylorAlexander 8y ago

It’s a cool demo. We’re definitely getting better at making humanoids. I would guess this is a pretty “hard coded” demo designed to work for this exact room setup only. It’s going to be some time before we have the machine intelligence necessary to do enough for this robot to find a toolbox on its own, retrieve the necessary tools, unload the drywall from a truck, carry it to the room in question, install it, and complain about OSHA all autonomously. Still, I’ve never seen this before. We are making progress. Just keep in mind that an actual robot that would do this commercially is probably 20 years away. Someone else said 10-20, and I’m inclined to think 20+ is more realistic. As in, you hire robots for your construction because it’s cheaper/better.

deevolution 8y ago
Im optimistic about 10 years... even if they are slow and clunky theyd be able to work 24/7 whereas human works cant or at least be optimized for tasks that are more difficult or dangerous for a human to perform. They might only take up 1% of the work force but i think that number will grow quickly
sandov 8y ago
>It’s going to be some time before we have the machine intelligence necessary to do enough for this robot to find a toolbox on its own, retrieve the necessary tools, unload the drywall from a truck, carry it to the room in question, install it, and complain about OSHA all autonomously. I don't think it's necessary to develop machine intelligence to do some of those tasks. The toolbox could could emit EM pulses so the robot can find it, the tools could be put in a specific order and put back the same way by the robot, the drywall could have easy-to-remove arrow stickers so the robot knows how to find it's borders, etc.
- asdkhadsj 8y ago
  That actually brings up an interesting concept that never occurred to me. We could get automation of complex tasks far earlier than I had thought. We're at this divide where we're getting capable with our understanding of motion and mechanics, but intelligently figuring things out is a massive roadblock. What if, as you say, we make very dumb robots where their interaction with the world has been entirely laid out by humans. Ie, a humanoid robot making toast seems difficult. Yet if we give it the exact dimensions of the room, rf sensors for locations of shelving, cabinets, bread, etc, it seems possible with our current tech that the robot could be programmed to handle dynamic environments as long as the inputs were laid out ahead of time. There's limited value in something like toast making, defining the inputs would be a hassle. Yet, for house building, or factory automation, if every piece, shape, location and dimension was known it seems a fleet of robots could build a house with quickness and ease, no "intelligence" needed. Humans would need to lay a foundation to a spec of dimensions, but then the bots could go nuts. Neat!

ofrzeta 8y ago

Doesn't make much sense to me. Apart from the fact that a humanoid could walk to the workplace – which it probably can't. For the actual task it would be much easier to use a non-humanoid with a carriage and several axes. Also it is a bit of a hoax because the whole humanoid reporting kind of suggests the robot is autonomous while one the image you can see a camera mounted on top of the wall and there's probably some huge computer in the back. EDIT: Here's some actual information about the project: https://www.aist.go.jp/aist_j/press_release/pr2018/pr20180927/pr20180927.html https://www.aist.go.jp/aist_j/press_release/pr2018/pr2018092...

6nf 8y ago
It's a tech demo, and it's a damn impressive one at that. The reporting just isn't great.
david-cako 8y ago
A benefit is having a multipurpose robot that can perform a variety of tasks that humans do using similar tools and techniques that we already use. I'm sure there's cases where that makes more sense than having more purpose-built machines.
function_seven 8y ago
> For the actual task it would be much easier to use a non-humanoid with a carriage and several axes. True, but I think the idea is that you would be able to download the TileSetter update and use the same robot to finish the backsplash in the kitchen. Then, with the newly-released CoverWall module, you can put that robot to work gluing and applying wallpaper with perfect, no-seam precision. A carriage and several axes probably wouldn't handle the manipulation of wall coverings that diverse.

Animats 8y ago

Very nice. I'd like to see the video with no breaks or cuts, though. It's interesting to see this done as a job for which the robot does not have enough manipulators. This would be easier with two hands to handle the board and one hand to apply the fasteners. On a production line, you'd have some way to keep the workpiece firmly in place while inserting fasteners. But they did it the hard way, with a humanoid form and only loose control over the workpiece. Which is what humans do. They often just push workpieces against a fixed object for guidance rather than go for full clamping.

madeuptempacct 8y ago

These things will be in prod in 5-10 years. Same with autonomous cars. Goodbye 5-10% of all jobs. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/employment-by-industry-1910-and-2015.htm https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/employment-by-industry-191...

stewfortier 8y ago

Whenever I see humanoid robots, I’m always reminded of this TechLoaf joke: https://www.techloaf.io/2018/06/05/a-i-scores-sweet-summer-job-as-lifeguard/ https://www.techloaf.io/2018/06/05/a-i-scores-sweet-summer-j...

chiph 8y ago

So humans aren't the only ones that have problems with collated screw guns. (You need to apply firm pressure until the screw is driven. Which might not happen if the bit is worn, or the screw in the plastic tape didn't get aligned correctly, or one of many other problems that can happen)

TallGuyShort 8y ago

Ah - but can the robot exceed time and budget estimates, do a shoddy job and then weasel it's way out of warranty obligations? Jobs are safe, everybody - there will be a few more unions who will lobby for bans on robotic drywallers because of some made up safety reason.

gonzo41 8y ago
If anything, it sounds like the solution would be every laborer gets a clip board and gets to supervise a robot doing the job they used to do. Obesity will be an ongoing issue for humanity.

sumayamanzoor 8y ago

Thanks for the content loaded with lots of new info. https://www.fita.in/selenium-training-in-chennai/ https://www.fita.in/selenium-training-in-chennai/ https://www.fita.in/big-data-hadoop-training-in-chennai/ https://www.fita.in/big-data-hadoop-training-in-chennai/