How filming your chores could train the android butlers of the future

Source Domain: www.cnn.com

The dream of deploying humanoid robots in every home has created a new type of job. The only requirements are a head strap, a smartphone and a list of chores.

With the evolution of artificial intelligence, humanoid robots have become the latest frontier in the race to dominate advanced technology. Robot makers are rolling out a succession of new models that can walk, dance and fight with increasing agility.

But the holy grail of the burgeoning industry – a general-purpose robot that can work in shops, offices and homes – needs a vast amount of data to learn how to safely and effectively replace humans. Increasingly, that data is being created by people recording themselves doing mundane household tasks.

This has created a voracious appetite for first-person footage that can be used to train robots, also known as “egocentric data” or “human data.” Over the past several months, startups have stepped in to supply that demand by collecting and annotating videos from thousands of contract workers around the world.

“Manufacturing, factory warehouses, retail, nursing homes, hospitals – you’re going to need this type of data in basically every single environment, and that’s because the movements are all different,” said Arian Sadeghi, vice president of robotics data at Micro1, which began recruiting its own army of remote videographers last year.

Each person receives headgear to attach a camera, filming instructions and a list of tasks such as cooking, cleaning, gardening and pet care. Workers are expected to alternate between assignments and submit at least 10 hours of video each week.

While the shots currently revolve around household chores, Sadeghi said the company encourages contractors to experiment with what they film, in case it could eventually help robots adapt more…

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