Giving Robots Human-Like Perception of Their Physical Environments

Kimera builds a dense 3D semantic mesh of an environment and can track humans in the environment. The figure shows a multi-frame action sequence of a human moving in the scene. "Alexa, go to the kitchen and fetch me a snack" Wouldn't we all appreciate a little help around the house, especially if that help came in the form of a smart, adaptable, uncomplaining robot? Sure, there are the one-trick Roombas of the appliance world. But MIT engineers are envisioning robots more like home helpers, able to follow high-level, Alexa-type commands, such as "Go to the kitchen and fetch me a coffee cup."