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Robotic Arm Learns to Flip Flapjacks, Thanks to Italian Teachers

by Caleb Johnson on July 28, 2010 at 07:25 AM


If we could design our dream robot, it would be one that could use its metallic dexterity to cook for us. Fortunately, some like-minded guys at the Italian Institute of Technology have made our dream come true. According to Make, Dr. Petar Kormushev and Dr. Sylvain Calinon designed a robotic arm, and then taught it to flip pancakes. The process is called kinesthetic teaching. Basically, Kormushev and Calinon grabbed the robotic arm, and moved it in the way that it would to flip a hotcake in a pan. Next, the bot repeatedly attempted the motion (in this case, more than 50 times) until it got it right. So, by Kormushev and Calinon reinforcing the appropriate movement, the robot was able to adjust and learn how to perform the task.

See the pancake pro in action after the break. Now, if only these guys could teach this robot to scramble eggs and fry bacon, too. They could market it to Waffle House and IHOP, and the future of flapjacks would be set in motion. [From: Make Zine, via: Popular Science]

Tags: breakfast, food, ItalianInstituteOfTechnology, KinestheticTeaching, pancakes, research, robot, top

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