Faster learning robots: Boston Dynamics and RAI Institute cooperate
Boston Dynamics and the RAI Institute are joining forces to teach the humanoid robot Atlas new tasks more quickly.
Atlas should be able to learn new tasks more quickly in future.
(Image: Boston Dynamics (Screenshot))
The robotics company Boston Dynamics and the Robotics & AI Institute (RAI Institute) have joined forces to accelerate the learning ability of the electrically powered humanoid robot Atlas. Together, the two companies want to use reinforcement learning (RL) techniques to teach Atlas faster and more tasks.
The partnership aims to improve the way Atlas the robot can learn new tasks. Learning new skills is key to being able to use robots for a wide range of tasks – in industry, care or private households, for example.
The two companies are focusing on RL, or reinforcement learning, with which a robot learns through trial and error. However, this method is considered time-consuming, even though the processes do not necessarily have to be carried out in the real world, but can be simulated in virtual environments.
From simulation to the real world
As a first step, the two companies want to investigate how simulation-based learning can be better transferred to real-world environments. In addition, Boston Dynamics and the RAI Institute want to improve the movement of the robot and its interaction in physical environments. The main focus will be on dynamic walking and the full-body manipulation of heavy objects. This places high demands on humanoid robots, as they have to coordinate and synchronize their arms and legs during the corresponding movements. In addition, the entire body movement plays a role in balancing various forces.
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Boston Dynamics and the RAI Institute (formerly The AI Institute) were both founded by former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Marc Raibert. Raibert was CEO of Boston Dynamics for 30 years and has since devoted himself mainly to research at the AI Institute, which was founded in 2022. Boston Dynamics was acquired by the South Korean Hyundai Group in 2021. Hyundai finances both companies and thus Raibert's research. The cooperation with the RAI Institute is not the only collaboration: in October, the robotics company signed an agreement with Toyota to jointly advance the development of Atlas into a general-purpose robot.
(olb)
