The RoboBusiness Conference, recently held in Santa Clara, California, in the United States, showcased insights into cutting-edge research and innovative applications in robotics, bringing together leading experts in the field to highlight the latest advancements. Despite the diverse shapes and functions of the robots on display, they collectively aimed to demonstrate their societal value.
Standing as the leading conference for insights into the robotics industry, RoboBusiness offers a platform to explore the latest engineering advancements and understand the evolving business landscape of robotics.
One of the featured innovations, as highlighted by Morgan McQuin, operations manager at Canvas, was a pioneering robot tailored for drywall finishing. Equipped with an array of sensors, this robot autonomously navigates and positions itself within rooms, revolutionizing automation in drywall work.
"It's the first kind that can do drywall finishing. It uses different sensors to help determine where it is in the room, to help it do the drywall finishing work," Mcquin said.
During the presentation at the event, Whitney Sales, the co-founder of Thoughtforge AI, showcased a remarkable example of adaptive learning in robotics. Within a brief 15-second data input, their model successfully mastered the task of turning a specific valve in three attempts. Impressively, it quickly adapted to handle other bolts with comparable precision.
"So, with 15 seconds of data, this model learned -- in three attempts, this model learned -- to turn this top square valve and then adapted to turn every other bolt here as well," Sales said.
Field AI has developed aftermarket software that enables various robots, including robot dogs, to adaptively navigate their surroundings in real-time, remaining undeterred even when they are unexpectedly knocked off course.
"The robot can navigate a space and execute a task without having any sort of preprogrammed route trajectories, any maps, or any sort of intervention," said Eric Foellmer, marketing head of Field AI.
Showcasing a breakthrough for medical use, Torrey Smith, co-founder and CEO of Endiatx, envisions the PillBot as the world’s first virtual endoscope -- one that could potentially be operated over a telemedicine call. This capsule device represents a pioneering approach to remote, non-invasive endoscopic examinations, enabling doctors to observe a patient's digestive system in real-time, irrespective of their location.
To demonstrate the device, Torrey Smith swallowed two PillBots, showing how the robotic capsules, controlled by a video game controller, transmit live video from inside the stomach. This allows viewers to see internal images in real time, highlighting the PillBot's potential as a non-invasive diagnostic tool.
Smith explained that the PillBot, a polycarbonate capsule containing propellers and an electric motor, can definitely be felt when swallowed. However, once it reaches the stomach, the sensation fades, and users remain unaware of the device -- even during its eventual, 'natural' exit.
"It basically is like an eyeball that squirts water to swim around. It doesn't really swim with a lot of force. And the good thing about that is that in the stomach, it offers a fair amount of safety. From there, we'll see what we can do to make PillBot effective in other parts of the body," he said.
Smith is optimistic that FDA approval for the PillBot could be granted within a year, potentially ushering in a new era of micro-robotic exploration within the human body.
Silicon Valley's RoboBusiness conference showcases cutting-edge robotics innovations
