Teaching Robots to Move Their Entire Bodies

Robotics researchers featured in IEEE Spectrum's weekly roundup are testing new ways for machines to move and interact with physical objects. In one demonstration from the Robotics and AI Institute, Boston Dynamics' four-legged robot Spot tackled whole-body manipulation by playing with a tire. Instead of just relying on a single arm, the goal is coordinating legs, balance, and reach together to handle awkward physical items.

Getting a robot to interact reliably with objects in the real world is notoriously tricky. The researchers reported that their vision system relied on depth images, where objects appear as shape outlines or blobs. Because the system was simple, any moving blob, such as a passing human or a random item on the floor, could trick Spot into mistaking it for the tire and wandering off course.