Researchers develop new point and click robot

Point and click – the very term seems to refer to games that make use of this simple interface. If you ask Charlie Kemp and his associates, however, it may mean something entirely different.

You see, Kemp and co. have developed a new type of robot that can fetch objects. The robot uses a simple interface called…you guessed it: point and click. For more info, point your cursor on the “read more” link below and click on it.

Sometimes, the best solutions may be the simplest ones. Case in point: Charlie Kemp and his associates have found a new way to instruct a robot by the name of El-E. All it took, it seems, was a green laser pointer.

Basically, all someone has to do is to select an object via the laser pointer, and El-E will go pick it up. A second point and click will command El-E to deposit the object somewhere. After which, El-E will return to its master’s side. It’s a simple, yet effective, system. Kemp and co. designed the robot to help people with mobility problems, such as patients with ALS.

El-E is equipped with an omni-directional camera, a laser range finder and a unique algorithm for determining how to detect objects and faces. Kemp however, says that robots have difficulty processing human languages. Fortunately, the laser pointer enables El-E to get around this problem. The robot can now identify the target object even if it doesn’t understand what the object is from a human perspective.

While this is an important step in the development of helper-type robots, Kemp and his colleagues are now working on expanding El-E’s capabilities. The future may see El-E switching lights on and off, as well as opening and closing doors for its human master.