Science Museum throws Robotville parade
Summary: Drawn from projects around Europe, the 20 robots on show at the museum have been created to help with research into human-machine interaction, covering work with autistic children
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Dora robot map
When put in a new location, Dora has no information about its surroundings. It uses lasers placed at shin height, plus an Xbox Kinect unit and dual cameras at head height, to draw a map of her surroundings. The method is known as simultaneous localisation and mapping (Slam).
"For the show, we've had to programme invisible walls, otherwise Dora would just keep wandering off exploring her surroundings," Hawes said.
The image above shows what Dora has learned since arriving at the London Science Museum. Initially, the map was blank. As the robot has explored the area, it has marked out things such as walls and doors.
The red dots in the image are an outline of a person stood in front of Dora, while the circular pie-chart-like markers make it easier for Dora to navigate her way back to a specific point.
Photo credit: Ben Woods
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