As part of the company’s 100th anniversary, industrial automation company Yaskawa pitted an industrial robot against a swordmaster in a slightly eerie display of martial prowess and precision. They used motion capture and 3D video to “teach” the robot, a Motoman-brand robotic arm, to replicate the movements of Isao Machii, an expert in the iaijyutsu style of sword technique.
Along with showing that a robot can look awesome when given a katana, the robot was able to perform the same moves as the human swordsman with equal or better precision. The same type of machine learning could be used to quickly teach the Motoman its tasks on an assembly line.
Robot Beats Samurai, Shows Future Of Industrial Robots
New way of programming robots not only makes them cooler, but more cost effective. A robot with a sword is the worst nightmare of most movie goers, but one robot with a sword is a sign of positive advances in industrial robots. Yaskawa has a robot called Motoman, and it can learn advanced and complicated movements just by watching an expert perform them.
Filed Under: Industrial automation