Robots Can Learn to Perform Tasks by “Watching” YouTube Videos

University of Maryland computer scientist Yiannis Aloimonos (center)

is developing robotic systems able to visually recognize objects and

generate new behavior based on those observations. DARPA is funding this

research through its Mathematics of Sensing, Exploitation and Execution

(MSEE) program. (University of Maryland Photo)

From darpa.mil

Robots can learn to recognize objects and patterns fairly well, but

to interpret and be able to act on visual input is much more difficult. 

Researchers at the University of Maryland, funded by DARPA’s Mathematics of Sensing, Exploitation and Execution (MSEE)

program, recently developed a system that enabled robots to process

visual data from a series of “how to” cooking videos on YouTube. Based

on what was shown on a video, robots were able to recognize, grab and

manipulate the correct kitchen utensil or object and perform the

demonstrated task with high accuracy—without additional human input or

programming.  

“The MSEE program initially focused on sensing, which involves

perception and understanding of what’s happening in a visual scene, not

simply recognizing and identifying objects,” said Reza Ghanadan, program

manager in DARPA’s Defense Sciences Offices. “We’ve now taken the next

step to execution, where a robot processes visual cues through a

manipulation action-grammar module and translates them into actions.”

Another significant advance to come out of the research is the

robots’ ability to accumulate and share knowledge with others. Current

sensor systems typically view the world anew in each moment, without the

ability to apply prior knowledge.

“This system allows robots to continuously build on previous

learning—such as types of objects and grasps associated with them—which

could have a huge impact on teaching and training,” Ghanadan said.

“Instead of the long and expensive process of programming code to teach

robots to do tasks, this research opens the potential for robots to

learn much faster, at much lower cost and, to the extent they are

authorized to do so, share that knowledge with other robots. This

learning-based approach is a significant step towards developing

technologies that could have benefits in areas such as military repair

and logistics.”

The DARPA-funded researchers presented their work today at the 29^th meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. The University of Maryland paper is available here: http://ow.ly/I30im

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Robots Can Learn to Perform Tasks by “Watching” YouTube Videos