Visitors to the Natural History Museum in London this month won't merely be greeted by a typical museum employee, but by a robot -- the Linda robot. Linda, a robot developed by the University of Lincoln, is designed to learn about its surroundings, making it a good fit to work in dynamic human environments.
The Linda robot's name is a reference to 'Lindum Colonia,' the ancient namy for the city of Lincoln. It is one of half a dozen robots built for the $12 million STRANDS project, which aims to develop robots suitable for working with human workers such as security guards and nursing home staff.
The Linda robot can operate and move around independently by creating 3D maps of its environment and continually updating them to take into account how they change. By mapping shapes, people and activities, the robot can learn about its environment and alter its behavior accordingly.
Robotic Museum Employees
The Linda Robot Will Greet Visitors to London's Museum of Natural History
Trend Themes
1. Robotic Museum Employees - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop robots to work alongside human employees in dynamic environments like museums.
2. Learning Robots - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Build robots that can learn about and adapt to their surroundings in real-time.
3. Robotic Mapping Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create robots that can autonomously generate and update 3D maps of their environment.
Industry Implications
1. Museum - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Introduce robots as employees in museums to enhance visitor experience and efficiency.
2. Robotics - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop robots for various industries to work alongside human workers and improve productivity.
3. Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Innovate new mapping technologies for robots that can be applied across different industries.