Like everyone else, you're probably looking forward to our robotic future - like Roombas to sweep your floors (and scrub your grills), Google cars to drive you where you want to go, and maybe a H.E.L.P.eR. to wash said Google car. So how about a robot that can pour you a beer, without spilling if you move your cup (and what if that robot could do lots of other party-related tasks)?

That's what Cornell University's Personal Robotics Lab has come up with. The folks over at Cornell have created software for their "PR2" robot, made by Willow Garage, that helps the robot not only do useful tasks like open refrigerator doors and pour a beer, but to do them while actively anticipating human movements. Check out the video below for a demonstration.

The PR2 robot uses a Kinect 3D camera to spot the human, and then it analyzes his possible moves. Like a decision tree in chess, the PR2 starts with a lot of possible moves that the human could make - is he going to place an object on the table, go to the chair, or reach for the refrigerator? As the human's movement eliminates the reasonable possibility of some actions, the robot's anticipatory tree narrows down to what the likely outcome is and acts accordingly, reaching out and helpfully opening the refrigerator door for him. When it comes to pouring a beer, PR2 can anticipate that its human is going to take a drink before the robot has time to pour it, so it patiently waits before it attempts to refill the cup. Anticipation is a great step forward for robotics. In a programming analogy, it's one of those automatic subsystems - like balance, hand-eye coordination, etc. - that our brains run so constantly and consistently that we hardly ever notice it.

The PR2 is a Party Bot!

But anticipatory action isn't the only thing this impressive robot can do. Here are a few more fun things (some also beer-related) that the PR2 has accomplished.

Fetching a Beer

Willow Garage's PR2 robot can also retrieve a beer for you from the refrigerator. Using "beer me" software, Willow Garage robotics experts instruct PR2 to go to the refrigerator, detect the handle, open the fridge, peruse the selection and pick out the kind of beer you want. It will even decide not to pick out a beer if the kind you wanted isn't detected. After it's got the beer, it will close the refrigerator door, bring the beer to you, and hold out the beer. It uses facial detection to ensure it doesn't let go until it sees a human grasping for the beer. Oh, and if that wasn't cool enough, it can open your beer with a bottle opener.

Holding a Tray

If you've got a lot of friends over, you may want your robot to take one trip with a tray of food and beverages, rather than go back and forth: the party-service theme continues with this simple demonstration of the PR2 robot's tray-handling ability. You might not realize it, but when moving a tray with an object (lets say... a beer) on it, you don't just keep it horizontal and expect the object to stay in place - you use a more dynamic, tilting motion. That's what PR2 has learned in this video.

Fetch Me a Sandwich!

So there's little explanation from this video of "Autonomous Subway sandwich delivery" from the University of Tokyo, but you get the idea: the PR2 goes to Subway and retrieves a sandwich, which appears to have been ordered ahead of time. (You can do that in Japan?) What's really impressive is that, with just a few missteps, the robot can navigate the lobby of a building, the path to Subway, and even the elevators - buttons and all - on its quest for a footlong.

Playing Pool

If you're partying alone and want an automated friend to challenge you to a game of pool, the PR2 can provide that, too. Giving the PR2 a special grip and a bridge, the robot hackers in this video outfitted the robot to use a pool cue. While humans still plan the shots, the PR2 had to find the balls on the table, detect the diamonds around the table, navigate around the pool table, and use the right force, angle, and follow-through to make shots. Pool is hard! 

Cleaning Up

The PR2 robot can also clean up the dirty mess you leave on a table, with just a little instruction from you. This video demonstrates the PR2's ability to pick up objects from a table and put them on a cart, which it then wheels away. It takes a picture of the mess and sends it to a human operator at a computer, who then picks out the objects that the PR2 should pick up and cart away. It's a great first step towards a fully cleanup-capable robot. Plus, a robot pushing a cart is very cute for some reason.

These videos, and much more on the PR2, are available on Willow Garage's YouTube Channel. Go check them out!

(Cornell Robotics Learning Lab and Willow Garage via Technabob)