Recently, Rethink Robotics created a revolutionary robot called Baxter.
The reasons why Baxter is so useful are many. First, Baxter can actually work next to humans, with its design specific for safety. All of its limbs are encased in plastic, and so there are no extruding parts. This solves a lot of problems and also allows for people to regulate and work together with Baxter.
Baxter also has a monitor that alerts when it acknowledges people around it, or doesn’t know what to do, which allows any regular person to figure out what’s going on. This also helps increase the human feel, because it uses its eyes to sort of show what exactly its thinking, looking at, or doing.
Finally, Baxter is unique in that it doesn’t require complex programming; anyone can teach Baxter how to work just by guiding its arms and telling it what objects to target. This sort of learning algorithm simplifies its use considerably, so that, once again, anyone can operate it.
Reportedly, Baxter was created to compete with cheap foreign labor. It holds this purpose, and states that all of its parts are “Made in America.” Baxter costs $22,000, which, if you consider its efficiency, ease of use, and relatively low cost compared to an average income, Baxter will change the way that manufacturing works.
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