Now your phone can become a robot that does the boring work

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- If any factory worker could program low-cost robots, then more factories could actually use robotics to increase worker productivity. This is because workers would be able to shift to taking on more varied and higher-level tasks, and factories could produce a greater variety of products. That's the idea behind a prototype smartphone app Purdue University researchers have developed that allows a user to easily program any robot to perform a mundane activity, such as picking up parts from one area and delivering them to another. The setup could also take care of household chores – no more plants dying because you forgot to water them. Purdue researchers present their research on the embedded app, called VRa, on June 23 at DIS 2019 in San Diego.