Universities face getting stuck with thousands of obsolete robots – here’s how to avoid a research calamity

Universities face getting stuck with thousands of obsolete robots – here’s how to avoid a research calamity

For more than a decade, the French robotics company Aldebaran has built some of the most popular robots used in academic research. Go to most university robotics departments and you’ll find either Pepper, the iconic three-wheeled humanoid robot, or its smaller two-legged sibling, Nao. These fast became the robots of choice for many academics for all research into the capabilities and potential of social robots. They are quick to set up and easy …