The robotic satellite Pluto-Quiper Express will be sent to Pluto's moon, after the development of new robotic technologies is completed. According to NASA's estimate, the research will last about a decade. The market for Vision Controls may be strange: one part is robotic toys for children and the other part is robotic spaceships.
My father is on the left
It's no coincidence that new toy robots have been released on the market in recent months, starting with Sony's metal dog and ending with Acer's human-faced baby. The toy industry, in this case, is quick to adopt new technologies being tested by scientific research institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the American Space Agency (NASA) and companies such as IBM and Motorola.
One of the most fascinating projects is currently underway at MIT, where researchers are trying to develop a human-like robot that behaves like a person, reacts like a person and can move and navigate in space like a person - at least almost.
As part of the development efforts of the innovative robot (COG), the researchers are even developing a set of facial expressions for the purpose of building an intuitive interaction between the human and the robot.
These studies include building mathematical models of the behavior of human babies, and trying to reproduce them using a metal surface. In several videos they published recently, the researchers claim that the baby's face ("Kismet" he called it, "Fate") completely resembles human expressions.
The American Space Agency, like the European Space Agency, decided to put Yahava on robotic technologies in order to lower the cost of space operations. For example, as part of its large framework program, Deep Space, the agency develops new technologies, starting with non-rocket space engines and ending with full robotic systems, which will serve as infrastructure for space exploration in the years to come.
The research program of Charon, one of the moons of Pluto, the ninth planet in our solar system, will be based entirely on robotic systems. NASA plans to send a satellite into space that will operate completely independently. According to the agency, the development of the new technologies will take at least 10 years, and therefore the launch plan for the robotic satellite is planned for 2010, "after the completion of the development of the necessary robotic systems."
At the Israeli Vision Controls company, they are targeting exactly these markets when talking about the navigation software they are developing. The company was founded in 98 and operated until recently from Herzliya, where it developed artificial intelligence software designed to help robots navigate unfamiliar areas. The new software is based on so-called "fuzzy logics".
These are mathematical algorithms that are able to receive partial information about the terrain conditions, through various sensors, to make guesses and assessments, and allow the robot to find its way even without having a complete or complete situational picture.
This ability is important for robots operating in real field conditions and in real time, since in such conditions it is not possible to get complete information about the field - and even when it is possible, until the robot processes the large amount of information - the field conditions will change.
At the beginning of '99, the company raised 1.5 million dollars, and recently moved to the industrial area of Rosh Ha'Ain. Today, Vision Control is managed by Arnon Azaria, CEO who returned to Israel after several years in the United States where he held senior positions in the office of the software company Computer Associates in Long Island. The company's chief scientist is Shaul Greenberg, PhD in mathematics.
Vision Controls develops software for advanced robots that are in development stages at other companies. An early version of the software (beta version), recently received its first public exposure, after it was installed in the Israeli robot "Fuzzy", which won first place in an international competition for the development of robots held in the USA. "Fazi" was developed by students from Tzur College in the Galilee, who competed against representatives from 60 countries.
According to Alon Azaria, the company's target markets include the toy market, applied models for consumer products that will be integrated into everyday life and space robots. Different from the oldest robotic market - robots for industrial needs - in these markets the miniaturization of the system and the ability to learn the operator's behavior are of particular importance.
Azaria: "We are talking about a robot that will be able to recognize your voice when you ask it to make coffee, transfer the laundry from the machine to the dryer, vacuum and do the kitchen work. Any tedious physical action will become the property of the robot. We estimate that the robotics market is on the verge of growth and in the next two years it will reach a billion dollars. Sony's smart dog, which invested about 2 billion dollars in its development, paved the way for a new generation of toys."
These days the company is in talks with American investors, and is looking for strategic collaborations that will allow it to occupy a place in the new market. The company estimates that tough competition is expected against the Japanese, who currently control about 70% of the industrialized robot market. It is estimated that the Japanese advantage may be maintained even with the entry of the tiny robots into the market.
This is a rapidly growing market which, like the computer market, is based on the combination of high technology and a vision that excites the public. In an article published in the latest issue of the technology magazine "Red Herring", a study conducted at the University of Tokyo was presented, in which the researchers implanted robotic systems in living devices, causing them to obey specific commands. The cockroaches, using remote control systems, performed "research and rescue missions", with micro-cameras, tiny transmitters and other sensors installed on their bodies capable of transmitting information.
Most projects of this type in the world are still in the development stages, but at Vision Controls we develop software solutions for future needs. The company hints at activity in the space field, refusing to reveal the plans and contacts in the field. As far as is known, the most advanced program today is reserved for the American space agency, which develops robots that will maintain and repair satellites. These robots will save significant financial expenses, and as of today, we are only dealing with future satellites and not those already sailing in space.
A closer market in terms of time is the development of robots that will serve as companions and helpers for people in their prime. In an interview with Red Herring, Joseph Engelberger, who is also defined as the "father of the industrial robot", said that he is currently developing this type of robot. According to him, the robot will do all the housework, from cleaning operations to preparing meals, thanks to the installation of a bifocal vision system, motion detectors and speech technologies.
New technology, as expected, generates new businesses. For example, LunaCorp from Arlington, Virginia is currently developing, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, a mobile robot that will roam the moon.
The intention is that the mechanical tourist will send spectacular photographs of extremely high quality to the earth. but will be shown on wide screens in amusement parks on Earth. Visitors to the parks will be able to direct the cameras of the wandering robot in any direction they wish.
Whereas the "Red Herring" does not give up the sweet life and tells about Japanese engineers who developed a new robot that performs an important job: rolling sushi.
{Appeared in Haaretz newspaper, 27/4/2000}
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