Premier Robotics and Machine Intelligence at CES

All companies want to make a splash at CES. There is a very effective way to stand out from the crowd — submit and win — a CES Innovation Award in the annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products.

Take robotics for example. From health care and mobility to household tasks and recreation, CES 2022 in Las Vegas is the year’s premiere robotics and machine intelligence show. The robotics category specifies: “Programmable or otherwise intelligent machines capable of performing specific tasks or replicating human movement or interactions.”

Let’s take a look at the robotics honorees listed by supplier in alphabetical order:

Whiz Gambit Avalon SteriTech and SoftBank Robotics Group jointly developed the Whiz Gambit, a 2-in-1 AI-powered cleaning and disinfection robotic solution. Whiz can record up to 600 cleaning routes, for which janitors can perform the initial floor cleaning with Whiz on the first day. Subsequently these routes are stored in Whiz, so it can clean the area autonomously on its own. Whiz, has an ultraviolet-C (UV-C) technology that kills Covid-19 on contact. This is the first disinfection robot to achieve Performance Mark by SGS, a leading verification and testing company, with proven efficacy to eliminate >99% microbial bioburden.

The Essentials Avular’s The Essentials is an end-to-end solution for mobile robots. Consisting of modular hardware and software building blocks, The Essentials are designed to (1) rapidly build new mobile robot applications, (2) turn existing machines into autonomous ones, and (3) develop robust and scalable end-products. The Essentials cover all the core functionalities a mobile robot needs, allowing users to focus on their specific application.

CygLiDAR_H2

CygLiDAR_H2 is a solid-state LiDAR product that does not operate mechanically, and it can measure 2D and 3D at the same time. Most robots use 2D LiDAR to identify their position and a 3D camera to determine obstacles while driving. CygLiDAR allows robots to reduce the number of sensors used and to produce robots that are competitive in design and cost. The system enables safe automated driving in support of the real-time 2D and 3D map data.

NINA

Doosan Robotics camera robot system, “New Inspiration. New Angle. (NINA),” was recognized for its consumer-friendly software designed to empower anyone to adopt professional cinematography skills using camera robots. The system automatically senses an object and calculates distance allowing smooth and consistent robotic-assisted filming. Users can pre-test angles by running simulations before actual filming, conserving time and saving production costs.

Doosan’s robot boasts 360-degree rotation creating uniqueness in cinematic works and is ergonomically compact in design, providing performance on par with industrial robots and providing collision sensitivity powered by six torque sensors. More, NINA comes with an external controller that acts as a joypad, assisting command.

See and Spray

John Deere’s See and Spray robotic technology for the agriculture industry can detect the difference between plants and weeds and enable the targeted application of herbicide on weeds. This plant-level management technology benefits the farmer, the surrounding community and the environment. The technology uses deep learning, cameras and robotics to distinguish plants from weeds. The future of this technology is key to treating each plant individually, providing exactly what every single plant needs at any given time, making chemical usage more efficient, protecting the surrounding soil and plants, and producing healthier, more productive crops.

Dot Stand V1

Dot Stand V1 is a health care robot that solves fixed posture issues. Using computers for an extended number of hours with poor posture results in forward head posture syndrome (FHP), a common problem that causes neck pain and fatigue. The health care robot automatically self-adjusts any monitor’s position to induce better posture — without the user even aware of it. Dot Stand, recognizes posture through a sensor attached to the front, and raises the monitor to encourage correct posture.

Hey-Bot

“Hey-Bot” from Hanseo University is an AI-based self-driving disinfection and guide robot for convention centers, hospitals, negative pressure wards and other important but vulnerable places. The robot effectively kills viruses and limits unnecessary social contacts in guiding one’s way to his or her destination and sanitizing a given area.

RGB-D AI Robot

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) unveiled its RGB-D AI Robot, the first collaborative robot that integrates smart 3D vision as a built-in standard for high-precision object recognition and pick-and-place operation. The robot integrates a 3D camera and MEMS laser scanning projector, along with auto labeling technology, which allows the robot to quickly learn through visually acquired data and perform hand-eye coordination skills. The small size of the optical sensor makes it easy to install its robotic arms and lowers installation costs.

Leica BLK ARC

The Leica BLK ARC is an autonomous laser scanning module for robots and also won a Best of Innovations Award. It is designed to be integrated with robotic carriers to enable autonomous mobile laser scanning with minimal or no human intervention. Users can simply plan a scan path and set BLK ARC off on its own to scan autonomously. It provides a safe and autonomous way to capture, in 3D, the images and data of areas that are difficult or dangerous for humans to reach. Professionals in architecture/engineering/construction (AEC), manufacturing, plant, public safety, and media and entertainment attach the BLK ARC to a robotic carrier to capture data that is used to build 3D models and recreate situations.

rebless

H Robotics’ rebless is an FDA registered robotic exercise therapy device that provides motion to the elbow, wrist, knee and ankle joints. Assist-as-needed control, continuous passive motion function and tele-medicine software make rebless an important supplement to medical and therapeutic treatment. Assist-as-needed technology provides assistance to a patient to complete desired movement only when the patient is in need of that assistance. With multiple operating modes, rebless allows for passive, active, active-assisted and active-resisted exercise and range of motion measurement, so therapy can be customized based on each individual patient’s condition and progress.

These specialized, intelligent machines are used to perform predefined tasks in specific environments. In the future, these machines will adapt their behaviors and tasks to interact on an intent level while also learning from other machines.