DARwIn the Robot Plays Hockey

In an activity you would expect from Canadian robotics researchers (when they are not making space arms), a University of Manitoba team has taught their DARwIn robot, Jennifer how to play hockey.

Jennifer is still learning, and she's got a ways to go before threatening to replace the jobs of Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin. Getting a robot to skate isn't easy, but it's certainly possible, and a pair of customized aluminum roboskates (currently on order) should help. The other tricky bit is the aiming and shooting: DARwIn already comes with ball tracking and the ability to aim kicks at a goal, but using a hockey stick to aim a puck at a goal sideways is an entirely different skill.


Aside from being what looks like a lot of fun, this project is a submission to the ICRA 2012 DARwIn-OP Humanoid Appliance Challenge, and we'll see all the videos (and learn whether Jennifer takes home the gold) at ICRA in Minnesota this May.





Robot Dreams