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Athena Robot In First - Time Passenger Flight
TIN news: A robot has travelled as an airline passenger for the first time during a landmark journey launched at Los Angeles International Airport in mid-December 2014.
Owned by the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germany, the 'Athena' robot left LAX on a Lufthansa flight, having earlier checked-in at the airport. Pushed through LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal in a wheelchair, Athena is the product of Salt Lake City-based robotics firms Sarcos and is designed as a system capable of undertaking tasks that would otherwise expose humans to significant levels of risk.
Currently, Athena doesn't have her full software package in place, meaning some capabilities aren't yet achievable, but according to news agency Reuters, the robot still elicited huge amounts of attention at LAX. Security-wise, Athena didn't face the metal detector but instead was given a customised pat-down by TSA (Transport Security Administration) screeners.
Robotic Airline Passenger
On board the aircraft - Lufthansa Flight LH 457 - Athena had her seatbelt fixed in place, then travelled much as would a regular passenger - the whole scenario a test of how people respond to robotic technology integrated into a traditionally all-human environment.
From Frankfurt, Athena headed for the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems' Autonomous Motion facility, located in Tübingen. Here, the robot will be taught a host of new skills - including walking on unlevel terrain - in preparation for its future role.
Athena Robot Flight
"Athena is the robot who saves people from the collapsed house or that is sent into the woods to look for a six-year-old child, who has lost its way", explains the institute's Stefan Schaal in its Athena robot flight press release. "Athena is intended for physical work in complicated terrain, which is possibly inaccessible or too dangerous for humans."
"We hope that one day the robot can really help in complex outdoor tasks, for example, in an emergency, in space, for assistance during epidemics, or other situations, like fire, search missions, weather catastrophes, etc. - i. e., pretty much anything where systems on wheels cannot be used. Of course, these are all visions for the future, and to achieve that, we have a lot of research ahead of us."
Owned by the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germany, the 'Athena' robot left LAX on a Lufthansa flight, having earlier checked-in at the airport. Pushed through LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal in a wheelchair, Athena is the product of Salt Lake City-based robotics firms Sarcos and is designed as a system capable of undertaking tasks that would otherwise expose humans to significant levels of risk.
Currently, Athena doesn't have her full software package in place, meaning some capabilities aren't yet achievable, but according to news agency Reuters, the robot still elicited huge amounts of attention at LAX. Security-wise, Athena didn't face the metal detector but instead was given a customised pat-down by TSA (Transport Security Administration) screeners.
Robotic Airline Passenger
On board the aircraft - Lufthansa Flight LH 457 - Athena had her seatbelt fixed in place, then travelled much as would a regular passenger - the whole scenario a test of how people respond to robotic technology integrated into a traditionally all-human environment.
From Frankfurt, Athena headed for the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems' Autonomous Motion facility, located in Tübingen. Here, the robot will be taught a host of new skills - including walking on unlevel terrain - in preparation for its future role.
Athena Robot Flight
"Athena is the robot who saves people from the collapsed house or that is sent into the woods to look for a six-year-old child, who has lost its way", explains the institute's Stefan Schaal in its Athena robot flight press release. "Athena is intended for physical work in complicated terrain, which is possibly inaccessible or too dangerous for humans."
"We hope that one day the robot can really help in complex outdoor tasks, for example, in an emergency, in space, for assistance during epidemics, or other situations, like fire, search missions, weather catastrophes, etc. - i. e., pretty much anything where systems on wheels cannot be used. Of course, these are all visions for the future, and to achieve that, we have a lot of research ahead of us."