Research Bay:
Domestic Robotics
Domestic Robotics
ROBOTICS FOR ENHANCING EVERYDAY LIFE
The main focus is on companionship, human augmentation, household chores, and smart home environments for older adults and people with disabilities. The goal: To create practical, user-friendly solutions that can adapt to diverse living spaces and individual preferences.The Domestic Suite
The Domestic Suite mimics the size and amenities of a real life studio apartment for robotics research.
The focus of this space is to develop solutions that provide support for daily tasks, improve home convenience and safety, and assist individuals with special needs.
The Kitchen
REALISTIC AND FULLY FUNCTIONING: Designed to support research in household assistance
The SRC Kitchen is an environment for testing robotic systems in common kitchen tasks.
COOKING DUTIES + CLEANING + ORGANIZING Meet Mobile ALOHA
Imitation learning has advanced robotic performance, but most success has been limited to static, table-top tasks. Mobile ALOHA addresses this gap by enabling bimanual, whole-body teleoperation for mobile manipulation.
PI: Chelsea Finn
More about Mobile ALOHA
ARMAR-7
ARMAR-7 is a humanoid robot designed to provide personalized assistance in household environments, equipped with sensorimotor and cognitive functions to execute complex tasks. It learns from human demonstrations and responds to spoken language or gestures, allowing for natural interaction and collaboration with users.
SRC Flagship Initiative: SOAR
Led by Michelle Baldonado, a research scientist at the Robotics Center, SOAR is developing robotic solutions to encourage older adults to engage in physical activity.
One of SOAR’s projects is “Wag” (Walking Assistance Guide): a robotic guide dog for older adults. It can roll smoothly on the pavement, and it can even go up and down curbs. Our goals are for “Wag” to take the lead on an urban walk, alert its human companion to nearby hazards, and make safety and fitness suggestions. Plus, we are exploring how “Wag” can encourage walking and social interactions. Woof!
PI: Michelle Baldonado
SOAR’s mission is to expand research towards more solutions devoted to improving the lives of older adults and their caregivers.
More about SOAR
DOMESTIC ROBOTICS: PROJECTS
FallGown
FallGown is a wearable inflatable device aimed at supporting balance and preventing falls. For older adults, this assistive technology-turned-fashion-statement encourages participation in forms of exercise that require standing, such as dance and tai chi.
PI: Allison Okamura and the charmlab team.
More about the
Collaborative Haptics and Robotics in Medicine Lab
Assistive Feeding
Real-World Solutions Daily Meal Routines
The assistive feeding project is an AI-driven robotic system designed to help individuals with mobility limitations by delivering food accurately and according to their personal preferences:
“Don’t feed me any meat.”
“Feed me all the bananas dipped in chocolate first and then all brownies plain.”
PI: Dorsa Sadigh and the FLAIR team.
More about FLAIR
Self-Donning Clothing: Robotic Zipper
The robotic zipper project reimagines how clothing can be constructed and augmented with robotic devices to automate donning and doffing.
PI: Allison Okamura and the charmlab team.
More about the Collaborative Haptics and Robotics in Medicine Lab
TidyBot
TidyBot is a mobile manipulator designed for household cleanup that learns and adapts to user preferences from just a few examples. By integrating language-based planning with advanced perception, TidyBot efficiently organizes clutter, making home maintenance smarter and more personalized.
