Robot Helpers

Sometimes the patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital want to do something outside. They might be invited to a playdate or a family visit. They might just want to go for a walk. That’s when the patients call Ohmni. Ohmni is a robot. It has a video camera. A kid can control Ohmni from a distance. Kids in the hospital can use Ohmni’s camera to see their friends. They can chat as if they were there in person. But they can still avoid the harmful bacteria and viruses that exist outside their hospital rooms.

“It’s about robots helping people to do tasks, such as connecting people across distances,” says Thuc Vu. Vu is the co-founder of OhmniLabs. OhmniLabs is the company that makes the Ohmni robot.

Ohmni has connected kids with their families and friends. Some kids have even used Ohmni to meet celebrities. Patients have also “attended” events using Ohmni. Children with disabilities were once able to be a part of a soccer match using Ohmni.

Flippy is the first robot in the world that can make burgers. Flippy can cook up to 150 burgers per hour! It glides across kitchen floors. It fries food. It keeps track of the amount of time food should be cooked. It also cleans equipment.

Flippy is a fast learner. That’s because Flippy is powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence is the ability of machines to “think” like humans. A robot with AI can mimic human actions. AI allows Flippy to cook 19 different foods and learn new cooking styles.

A couple of restaurants around the U.S. have used Flippy since 2017. Miso Robotics is the company that created Flippy. The company is based in California. Miso Robotics say that Flippy has been especially helpful during the Covid-19 pandemic. The robot has allowed restaurants to safely reopen after being closed. It’s also helped with worker shortages.

Movies have often included robots that look and move like animals. Two examples are the shark in the movie Jaws and the orca in the movie Free Willy. Now robots are being used to keep live animals out of captivity. That way, real animals can stay in the wild where they belong. The company Edge Innovations studied the way dolphins look and move. They used the data to create a lifelike robotic dolphin called Delle. Edge Innovations is developing a tourist attraction. The attraction will feature robotic dolphins. It’s expected to open next summer in Florida.

Walt Conti worked on creating Delle. He hopes the robotic dolphins will inspire people to care about marine animals. “We view them as ambassadors to the real animals out in the ocean,” Conti says.

This is a robotic table-tennis trainer called Forpheus (FOR-fee-us). It helps Ping-Pong players practice. It’s designed to help both new and experienced players improve their skills. Players who use Forpheus don’t need a human partner. The robot was created by a company called Omron.

Forpheus uses cameras and sophisticated software. It can follow the Ping-Pong ball. It can volley with players. It can also assess a player’s speed and skill. Forpheus adjusts its skill level to challenge opponents and help them improve. Forpheus also shows players their average ball and spin speeds. This helps players track their progress.