Researchers at the University of Bielefeld have developed a gripping system with robotic hands, which independently acquaints itself with unknown objects. The new system works without first knowing the features of objects such as fruit or tools. The Greif-Lern-System was developed in the large project "Famula" of the excellence cluster Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) at the University of Bielefeld.

The knowledge from the project could, for example, help future service robots to get themselves into new budgets. CITEC is investing around € 1 million for Famula. In a new research_tv contribution by the University of Bielefeld, the project leaders explain the new development.

"Our system learns by experimenting and exploring itself - just as babies devote themselves to new objects," says Professor Dr. Helge Ritter. The neuroinformatics scientist conducts the project together with the sports scientist and cognitive psychologist Professor Dr. Thomas Schack and the robotics professor Dr. Sven Wachsmuth.

The CITEC scientists work with a robot with two hands, the human hands in form and mobility are modeled. The robot brain for these hands must learn, Such as everyday objects such as fruits, crockery or even plush toys, can be distinguished by their colors and shapes, and what is important when you want to grab them.

For this, the interdisciplinary project combines work in the artificial intelligence with research work in further disciplines. With Famula, CITEC researchers are conducting basic research that can benefit future household and industrial self-learning robots. "We want to understand how we literally understand our environment through our hands. The robot allows us, To review our insights in reality and to uncover gaps in our understanding. This is a contribution to the future use of complex, multi-faceted robotic hands, which are still too costly and too complex for use in industry, "says Ritter.

The project name Famula stands for "Deep Familarization and Learning Grounded in Cooperative Manual Action and Language: from Analysis to Implementation.

Source: Idw