“Sanbot”: the robot that moves in unknown environments is born in Catania

CATANIA – A robot that navigates autonomously even in environments unknown to him: it is “Sanbot”, a prototype made in Catania by Marco Rosano, a doctoral student of the university’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science thanks to a research grant funded by the Etna company OrangeDev with which he has been collaborating for two years in the development of robotic technologies and artificial intelligence. A research, entitled “On Embodied Visual Navigation in Real Environments Through Habitat”, was published in the International Conference on Pattern Recognition.

“We are developing” machine learning “technologies that allow any robot to move independently and interact with objects and people, even in unknown environments, whose disposition is unknown – explains the young researcher -. Contrary to the classic methods of navigation, which require the floor plan to move inside the building, our algorithms work on a cognitive level, allowing Sanbot to “understand” the geometry of the environment and the type of interaction that may exist with the elements inside it, all starting from images taken in first person. It is an approach that is inspired by the functioning of the human mind, more similar to how we humans perceive the world around us and how we interact with it. The applications of this technology are innumerable – adds Marco Rosano -. In the industrial field, we are observing how the “robot-elevators” used in logistics systems can assist humans during the most tiring and risky operations, autonomously transporting large loads between the shelves. In the home, robot vacuum cleaners help us with the maintenance of our homes and with the maturing of technology we will soon be able to see, for example, robots capable of assisting the elderly, who need constant attention. Without forgetting – he comments – the support that terrestrial and flying robots could offer in search and rescue operations for the missing, helping to save lives ».