The percentage of physical robots in industrial settings that are designed to work alongside humans has more than quadrupled since 2017, according to data from non-profit organisation, International Federation of Robotics.
To investigate how collaborative robots can effectively communicate with people in manufacturing, medical and other settings, a number of colleges and universities have launched research efforts that involve virtual reality (VR), which may also help provide students with valuable workplace skills and experience.
Vision-based training can be a powerful way to tap into the speed, consistency and other capabilities today’s robots possess, according to Jason Jamerson, director of Louisiana State University’s XR Studio research program, in which students perform software programming and other robot-related work.
“We’ve got the digital twin of a humanoid robot. You could run the simulation and be in a situation where a robot arrives at an oil rig, there’s an emergency, and it doesn’t know what to do. But within five minutes, you could train it on a week’s worth of trying different approaches,” Jamerson said.
