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The First Robot Librarian Is Born At The University Jaume I
July 01, 2004A team of researchers from the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at the University Jaume I (UJI) in Castell'łn, Spain, has created the first automat capable of performing the tasks usually carried out by a library clerk. The robot uses speech-recognition to identify the book that is being requested, then determines its location, goes to the shelf, picks it up and takes it to wherever it is instructed to do so.
As well as the speech-recognition system, the machine also has a built-in artificial vision device that enables it to read the labels on the spines of the books and compare them with the one it is looking for until they coincide. This makes it unnecessary to change the system used to identify the publications, since the robot adapts itself to the labelling method currently in use.
The project is still in the development stage and for the time being the robot is only capable of identifying the book and manipulating it. This is achieved by using the artificial vision system to guide its hand and a force sensor that allows it to take the book from the shelf. In the future, however, the automat will be fitted with a navigation system that will enable it to move freely around an indoor space.
Unlike most automats, which need an obstacle-free environment to be able to move about without any kind of incidents, the robot librarian created by the researchers at the UJI will be equipped with infrared, sonar and laser sensors that will make it easier for it to navigate and to avoid colliding with people and objects. Thus the robot, which consists of a manipulator arm fitted with a gripper on a mobile platform, will be able to move freely around closed spaces that could even be a real challenge for humans.
The creation of the robot librarian is part of a more general line of research conducted by the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory which aims to introduce this kind of technology into the home and office after it has been firmly implemented in industry.
Universitat Jaume I
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