Robots in Depth

Lars Dalgaard in Robots in Depth #42. Sponsors: Carbon Robotics and Aptomica

Lars Dalgaard shares his experiences developing robots in many different contexts.

We hear about Lars’ early work with large mobile robotics in a commercial nursery garden handling the transfer of plants from the greenhouse to the field.

He also speaks about the Hydra project a self re-configuring modular robotics project that developed several different modular robotics systems including the Atron system.

Lars felt that there was a problem with the process used to introduce robotics and automation into society. Commercialization was hard and unreliable mostly because there was no focus on designing a complete system. This lead to an industrial PhD done at the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) focusing on a system level design approach.

He then talks about his work at DTI that focuses on transferring research, knowledge and research results from academia into companies and the Danish society in general.

One project Lars has been working on is augmenting mobile platforms so that they can handle tasks as they move around in a production facility. This also aims to make it easier to program the mobile platforms and any systems added to them.

Lars thinks that looking at the bigger picture and bringing multiple partners and end users into projects, and doing so early, can bring big benefits to a project.

Danish Technological Institute https://dti.dk

Please support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/RobotsinDepth

You can find the show blog here http://www.robotsindepth.com
Robots in Depth on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Robotsindepth
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com
Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/persjoborg/
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Perblog
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/

Harri Ketamo in Robots in Depth #41. Sponsors: Carbon Robotics and Aptomica

Harri Ketamo talks about AI and how he aims to mimic human decision making with algorithms.

Harri has done a lot of AI for computer games to create opponents that are entertaining to play against. It is easy to develop a very bad or a very good opponent, but designing an opponent that behaves like a human, is entertaining to play against and that you can beat is quite hard. He talks about how AI in computer games is a very important story telling tool and an important part of making a game entertaining to play.

This work led him into other parts of the AI field. Harri thinks that we sometimes have a problem separating what is real from what is the type of story telling he knows from gaming AI. He calls for critical analysis of AI and says that data has to be used to verify AI decisions and results.

We also hear about the current use of AI in among other things sports games, where the challenge is to make a believable computer copy of a real-world player to make the games feel more real.

We then get to hear about his current work in developing AI systems that create mind-maps from texts to make the computer able to determine the context. By doing this we can derive better sentiment and meaning. This AI system is trained using a large amount of reliable data from scientific papers and CNN.

One application of this that Harri is working on, is in the labor market matching needs for talent with available people. This will help companies find staff and people find job opportunities.

Please support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/RobotsinDepth

Christian Guttmann in Robots in Depth #40. Sponsors: Carbon Robotics and Aptomica

Christian Guttmann talks about AI and wanting to understand intelligence enough to recreate it. Host Per Sjöborg.

Christian discusses building systems that can interact with humans beyond regular computer interfaces.

He started working with computers early, too early for advanced AI. He studied broadly, including philosophy, ethics as well as synthetic and biological neural networks.

Christian has found a lot of inspiration in the old papers by Alan Turing and others. He sometimes envies them their opportunity to think big, as they did when they founded the areas of computer science and artificial intelligence.

Christian has be focusing on AI in healthcare and has recently started to communicate the opportunities and challenges in artificial intelligence to the general public. This is something that the host Per Sjöborg is also very passionate about.

We also get to hear about the Nordic AI institute (https://www.nordicaiinstitute.com) and the work it does to inform all parts of society about AI. Anyone interested in AI is welcome to reach out if they have questions or if they have knowledge to share.

Then we hear how Christian is working with Tieto (https://www.tieto.com) on integrating artificial intelligence in their customers daily operations.

Please support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/RobotsinDepth

Federico Pecora in Robots in Depth #39. Sponsors: Carbon Robotics and Aptomica

Federico Pecora talks about AI and how the computer decides what to do
and when to do it. Host Per Sjöborg, Robots in Depth #39 supported by
https://carbon.ai & http://www.aptomica.com

Federico finds many interesting research problems combining AI and
robotics. Being out in the real world challenges the AI algorithms and
makes real physical tasks possible.

Federico talks about working on AI and service robotics. In this area
he has worked on planning, especially focusing on why a particular
goal is the one that the robot should work on. To make robots as
useful and user friendly as possible, he works on inferring the goal
from the robot’s environment so that the user does not have to tell
the robot everything.

Federico has also worked with AI robotics planning in industry to
optimize results. Managing the relative importance of tasks is another
challenging area there. In this context, he works on automating not
only a single robot for its goal, but an entire fleet of robots for
their collective goal. We get to hear about how these techniques are
being used in warehouse operations, in mines and in agriculture.

Federico discusses how important the co-operation between roboticists and AI specialists is. It can sometimes be challenging, but when it works it yields very interesting questions and results.

Please support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/RobotsinDepth

You can find the show blog here http://www.robotsindepth.com Robots in Depth on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Robotsindepth The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/persjoborg/ Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Perblog Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/

Andreas Bihlmaier in Robots in Depth #38. Sponsors: Carbon Robotics and Aptomica

Andreas Bihlmaier talks about modular robotics and starting a robotics company. Host: Per Sjöborg, Robots in Depth #38 supported by https://carbon.ai and http://www.aptomica.com

Andreas shares how he started out in computers and later felt that robotics, through its combination of software and hardware that interacts with the world, was what he found most interesting.

Andreas is one of the founders of RoboDev, a company that aims to make automation more available using modular robotics. He explains how modular systems are especially well suited for automating low volume series and how they work with customers to simplify automation.

He also discusses how a system that can easily be assembled into many different robots creates an advantage both in education and in industrial automation, by providing efficiency, flexibility and speed.
Reducing the threshold to automation will allow a new type of exploration of robotics and automation in STEM/STEAM education and in prototyping for industrial robotics.

We get a personal, behind the scenes account of how the company has evolved as well as insights into the reasoning behind strategic choices made in product development.

More about Robodev on http://www.robodev.com

Please support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/RobotsinDepth

You can find the show blog here http://www.robotsindepth.com Robots in Depth on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Robotsindepth
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com
Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/persjoborg/
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Perblog
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/

Richard Voyles in Robots in Depth #37 Sponsor: Aptomica.com Host: Per Sjöborg

Richard Voyles talks about rescue robotics and advising politicians about robotics. Host: Per Sjöborg, Robots in Depth #37 supported by http://www.aptomica.com

Richard shares how he reacted to the Three Mile Island accident by doing robotics research focused on rescue robotics. He also talks about how robotics has been able to help out in the later nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Fukoshima. We hear about how long different types of equipment last in such extreme environments and the spectrum of work that is being done in the area.

We also learn how things we take for granted are not always true in a rescue situation and that creates a challenge for the sensors used in that environment.

Richard and Per then discuss the role of robotics in the community and the importance of considering it in the political landscape.

This interview was recorded in 2015.

Please support the show on Patreon

Follow @Robotsindepth

Follow @Perblog

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com

Stefano Stramigioli in Robots in Depth #36 Sponsor: Aptomica.com Host: Per Sjöborg

Stefano Stramigioli talks about how he leads the Robotics and Mechatronics lab at University of Twente. The lab focuses on inspection and maintenance robotics, as well as medical applications.

Stefano got into robotics when he saw the robots in Star Wars, and started out building a robotic arm from scratch, including doing his own PCBs etc.

He also tells us about the robotic peregrine falcon that has been spun out and is now a successful company of their own. Check it out at www.clearflightsolutions.com

Stefano and Per agree that the simple reason for being in robotics is that it’s just so cool!

You can find the Robotics and Mechatronics lab at: www.ram.ewi.utwente.nl

This interview was recorded in 2016.

Please support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/RobotsinDepth

You can find the show blog here http://www.robotsindepth.com Robots in Depth on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Robotsindepth
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Perblog
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/

This interview was recorded in 2016.

Please support the show on Patreon

Follow @Robotsindepth

Follow @Perblog

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com

Sebastian Weisenburger in Robots in Depth #35 Sponsor: Aptomica.com Host: Per Sjöborg

Sebastian Weisenburger tells us all about the ECHORD++ project.
Host: Per Sjöborg, Robots in Depth #35 supported by http://www.aptomica.com

He describes how ECHORD++ works with application oriented research bringing together academia, industry and end users to bring robotics to market, under the banner “From lab to market”

We also hear about Public end-user Driven Technological Innovation (PDTI). Currently, two projects are run, one in healthcare and one in urban robotics.

Sebastian shares how he adapts the information that comes out of research in a way that makes it suitable for the general public.

We also get and in depth ( 🙂 ) look at the ECHORD++ project with insight into many of the projects in it.

You can find out more at www.echord.eu
You can follow ECORD++ on twitter for the latest news at https://twitter.com/echordplusplus

This interview was recorded in 2016.

Please support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/RobotsinDepth

You can find the show blog here http://www.robotsindepth.com Robots in Depth on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Robotsindepth
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Perblog
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/

This interview was recorded in 2016.

Please support the show on Patreon

Follow @Robotsindepth

Follow @Perblog

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com

Nicola Tomatis in Robots in Depth #34 Sponsor: Aptomica.com Host: Per Sjöborg

Nicola Tomatis talks about his long road into robotics and how BlueBotics handles indoor navigation and integrates it in automated guided vehicles (AGV). Host: Per Sjöborg, Robots in Depth #34 supported by http://www.aptomica.com Host: Per Sjöborg, Robots in Depth #34 supported by http://www.aptomica.com

Like many, Nicola started out tinkering when he was young, and then got interested in computer science as he wanted to understand it better.

Nicola gives us an overview of indoor navigation and its challenges.He shares a number of interesting projects, including professional cleaning and intralogistics in hospitals. We also find out what someone who wants use indoor navigation and AGV should think about.

You can find out more here:

Bluebotics on Twitter
Nicola Tomatis on Twitter
Bluebotics web site

This interview was recorded in 2016.

Please support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/RobotsinDepth

You can find the show blog here http://www.robotsindepth.com Robots in Depth on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Robotsindepth
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Perblog
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/

This interview was recorded in 2016.

Please support the show on Patreon

Follow @Robotsindepth

Follow @Perblog

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com

Søren Peter Johansen in Robots in Depth #33 Sponsor: Aptomica.com Host: Per Sjöborg

Søren Peter Johansen from DTI talks about implementing robotics solutions in Robots in Depth #33 Sponsor: Aptomica.com Host: Per Sjöborg

Søren talks about how he got into robotics by starting to tinker with any electronics he could get his hands on. He worked in a mechanical workshop and added automation to the machines in the shop. As robots became more and more available, he then included them in his work.

Søren also discusses examples of successful human robot collaboration and how software and hardware both are essential elements of robot development.

We also get to hear about how he went to the Danish Technological Institute because he saw an opportunity to work with lots of interesting robots.

This interview was recorded in 2016.

Please support the show on Patreon

Follow @Robotsindepth

Follow @Perblog

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/persjoborg/
The host Per Sjöborg on http://www.flexibilityenvelope.com

Subscribe to our newsletter