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Baxter

Details

Baxter is a versatile manufacturing robot. Its cameras and force-sensing actuators let it adapt to changes in the environment, and a user can program a new task simply by moving its arms around.

Creator
Rethink Robotics
Country
United States 🇺🇸
Year
2012
Type
Industrial
Creator
Rethink Robotics
Country
United States 🇺🇸
Year
2012
Type
Industrial

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Did You Know?

Baxter doesn't speak, but it nods its LCD head to indicate that it has understood a new command.
The company originally wanted to name its robot Cooper (for cooperation), but it ran into trademark difficulties and chose Baxter instead.
Rethink's robots are named after Old English occupations, Baxter being a baker.
Rethink has released a software development kit to let users modify Baxter's capabilities and behavior.

Specs

FEATURES
Equipped with active and passive safety systems and a user-friendly control interface. Able to control movements based on vision and force sensing.
HEIGHT
94 cm | 37 in (waist to head)
LENGTH
37 cm | 14.6 in
WIDTH
260 cm | 102.4 in
WEIGHT
75 kg | 165 lb (not including pedestal)
SPEED
N/A km/h | N/A mph

SENSORS
Five cameras (one in the head, two in the chest, and one in each forearm). Force sensing based on series elastic actuators. Head with sonar array for detecting humans moving close by.
ACTUATORS
Series elastic actuators with brushless DC motors, metal and plastic gearboxes, and custom spring element.
POWER
Standard 110-V power supply
COMPUTING
Intel-based main computer inside torso. ARM-based motor controller boards inside arms.
SOFTWARE
Linux OS and custom control software with ROS (Robot Operating System) integration.
DEGREES OF FREEDOM (DOF)
16 (Arm: 7 DoF x 2; Head: 2 DoF)
MATERIALS
Cast aluminum, thermoplastics, powdered metal parts.
COST
$22,000
STATUS
Ongoing
WEBSITE
http://rethinkrobotics.com

History

Rodney Brooks, a cofounder of iRobot and a former director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, founded Rethink Robotics, then called Heartland Robotics, in 2008. His goal was to develop an affordable industrial robot that could automate repetitive tasks in small and medium-size manufacturers, working alongside humans and helping them with tasks rather than taking their jobs. The company worked in total secrecy until late 2012, when it changed its name to Rethink Robotics and unveiled its first robot, called Baxter. Rethink has raised $62 million in venture funding.