A new experiment from CMU features Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer moving objects inside a metal tray to get a sense of the sounds they make as they roll around, slide and crash into the sides. There are 60 objects in all — including tools, wooden blocks, tennis balls and an apple — with 15,000 “interactions” recorded and cataloged.
The robot, named “Tilt-Bot” by the team, was capable of identifying objects with a 76% success rate, even determining the relatively small material differences between a metal screwdriver and wrench.