This Robot Shapes Letters Using Play-Doh Like a Kid, Thanks to AI

Teejay Boris, Tech Times 24 June 2022, 09:06 pm

This robot knows how to shape alphabet letters by using kid-friendly clay, Play-Doh, without any human assistance, all thanks to the artificial intelligence (AI) that powers it.

As kids, most of us, if not all, have worked on crazy shapes using Play-Doh, some have produced remarkable sculptures, while others, myself included, have made weird abstract-looking creations.

This Robot Shapes Letters Using Play-Doh Like a Kid, Thanks to AI

(Photo : Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH 12: A bottle of hand sanitizer sits next to containers of Play-Doh at Byck Elementary School on March 12, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky.

But besides young folks, robots have also started learning how to make shapes on our childhood toys.

Robot Shapes Letters Using Play-Doh

As per a news story by Engadget, robots have already learned how to work on a couple of shapes, specifically alphabet letters, using Play-Doh.

While kids are playing with Play-Doh, the hard-working researchers from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are creating a system to teach robots how to play with clay.

(Photo : KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)
Manassas, UNITED STATES: This 24 May, 2006 image shows a bottle of "Play-Doh" cologne (R), a fragrance released by Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based toymaker Hasbro and the Demeter Fragrance Libray, the cologne's New York manufacturer and distributor, as part of a year-long celebration of the beloved modeling compound's 50th birthday.

The MIT researchers produced a system that goes by the name RoboCraft, which empowers robots to independently work on several shapes out of Play-Doh.

But unlike most kids, the robot only has two fingers. But still, it is stuffed with some remarkable AI system, allowing it to work on Play-Doh effortlessly.

How AI Helps This Robot with Shaping Play-Doh Letters

The Robocraft system allows the robot to manipulate Play-Doh into alphabets.

Engadget notes that the system provides an image of a shape that the robot would need to mold using a piece of clay. In this case, the researchers gave the robots photos of the alphabet letters.

Even with only two fingers it still does the job, thanks to the physics-oriental neural network, which controls them. On top of that, a predictive algorithm also helps in shaping skills.

The Future of AI Robots

According to a recent report by the New Scientist, AI enables robots to mold shapes like the alphabet. But the development of this bot does not end merely by shaping a couple of alphabets.

The researchers are still working to make it relevant in the real world, perhaps something like working on dumplings like an award-winning Chinese chef.

One of the researchers from MIT, Yunzhi Li, told New Scientist that "Deformable objects are ubiquitous in our daily life."

So, apart from producing delish dumplings, this robot could also work on some tedious housework in the future.

Could you imagine that it all started with shaping letters on Play-Doh? Yeah, just like most kids, you'll never know what they will be capable of when they grow up.