Finally, A Robot That Can Assemble Your IKEA Furniture

No more indecipherable instructions, extra screws, missing tools, mind-warping frustration - unless the robot breaks. JL

Liz Stinson reports in Curbed:

Robots can autonomously build Ikea’s Stefan chair in 20 minutes flat. Using off-the-shelf components like 3D cameras and robotic arms with force sensors, the robots are able to differentiate between parts and assemble them with a dexterity and finesse elusive to most bots. The scientists coded the robots with specific behaviors, teaching them how to connect one piece to the next with the appropriate amount of force.

In a new paper in Science Robotics, researchers from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University pose the question: Can robots assemble Ikea chairs? It appears that yes, yes they can. And with relative ease.

WIRED reports that the scientist designed robots that can autonomously build Ikea’s Stefan chair in 20 minutes flat. Using off-the-shelf components like 3D cameras and robotic arms with force sensors, the robots are able to differentiate between parts and assemble them with a dexterity and finesse elusive to most bots.

The scientists coded the robots with specific behaviors, teaching them how to connect one piece to the next with the appropriate amount of force. Following the programmed instruction guide, the robots complete the series of tasks that result in a fully-formed chair. Who need TaskRabbits when you’ve got task robots?