mit's personal robots group developed four mds [Mobile/Dexterous/Social] robots, small mobile humanoid robots that possess a novel combination of mobility, moderate dexterity, and human-centric communication and interaction abilities.
the purpose of this platform is to support research and education goals in human-robot interaction, teaming, and social learning.
personal robots are an emerging technology with the potential to have a significant positive impact across broad applications in the pubic sector including eldercare, healthcare, education, and beyond. given the richness and complexity of human life, it is widely recognised that personal robots must be able to adapt to and learn within the human environment from ordinary citizens over the long term. although tremendous advances have been made in machine learning theories and techniques, existing frameworks do not adequately consider the human factors involved in developing robots that learn from people who lack particular technical expertise but bring a lifetime of experience in learning socially with others. the researchers refer to this area of inquiry as socially situated robot learning [ssrl].
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