MIT's new robot can peel vegetables, perform other kitchen tasks
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled a new robot capable of performing kitchen tasks, including peeling vegetables. A recent demonstration video shows the robot adeptly peeling a gourd, using one hand to hold the vegetable and the other to peel. This development is part of an ongoing study into dexterous manipulation problems, specifically in-hand object reorientation.
Robotic system mimics human vegetable peeling
The MIT researchers have designed a system that mirrors how humans peel vegetables, holding the item in one hand and using the other to operate a peeler. "We propose a simple system for learning a reorientation controller that facilitates the subsequent peeling task," said the researchers. The robotic system uses an Allegro hand mounted on a Franka robot arm to reorient food items for peeling, while another Franka robot arm grasps a peeler.
Learning process and challenges
The reorientation controller for the Allegro hand is learned through reinforcement learning, while the peeling is performed via teleoperation. The researchers demonstrated this process using a melon, sweet potato, and squash gourd. The reorientation controller discussed in this study is a blind controller that depends only on proprioceptive sensory information rather than utilizing any vision information. Although it effectively reorients and securely holds heavy objects, its performance might be improved with the addition of visual and tactile feedback.
Limitations of MIT's robotic system
The current system has some limitations, including the risk of the object slipping out of the hand or the controller failing if vegetables are small. The fingers may not effectively make contact with smaller objects.
Why peeling vegetables is hard for robots?
Usually, humans peel a vegetable by holding it in one hand and using the other hand to operate a peeler to remove the skin. Once a section is peeled, the vegetable is rotated and peeled again until it's skinless. "These additional steps of doing rotation are something which is very straightforward to humans, we don't even think about it," said Pulkit Agrawal, assistant professor at MIT. "But for a robot, this becomes challenging," he added.
