The overlap between virtual reality (VR) and robotics is discussed in this article, highlighting similarities and differences in their development and progress. While both fields have roots in science fiction, robotics has already had a significant impact on various industries, while VR is still waiting on the killer consumer application. The importance of robotics in education is also emphasized, specifically for underserved indigenous communities. A young woman named Danielle Boyer has developed low-cost robotics kits that are provided to students for free, with more than 8,000 distributed to date. Nvidia, a chipmaker that has diversified its offerings, announced the launch of Isaac AMR, a platform designed for autonomous mobile robotic systems. The company also backed Serve Robotics, an Uber spinout that plans to deploy up to 2,000 last-mile delivery robots in the US. Finally, Google DeepMind built a dog obstacle course called Barkour, a benchmark designed to help quantify performance in quadrupedal robots.
Nvidia is a chip maker that has diversified its offerings with its Jetson and Isaac platforms, which help robots prototype, iterate, and become ready for manufacturing.
Danielle Boyer is a young woman who has developed low-cost robotics kits that are provided to students for free, with more than 8,000 distributed to date. Her not-for-profit organization, STEAM Connection, focuses on bringing STEM education to underserved members of indigenous communities.
