This robot won’t trip people up

At a crowded student center, people toting backpacks hurry to class. Among them is a robot on wheels. It moves left to pass a column blocking its way. Then it veers right to make room for an oncoming group of people. Crowds are no problem for this robot, which obeys human social rules to get around.

The robot’s name is Jackal. It gets where it’s going at a brisk walking pace without bumping into anybody. Jackal can “plan paths around people in a way that makes them feel comfortable and makes our robot stay safe,” says Michael Everett. He’s part of a team of students who helped design the robot. Yu Fan Chen led the team. The students attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge.

Read more at: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/robot-wont-trip-people