Being able to manually move the robot could be an important part of deploying industrial robotic systems in the future. For Carter, that means more than just becoming a passive piece of equipment, but rather sensing the force being applied and adjusting accordingly. There’s also a bright orange handlebar that allows for single-handed control — a surprisingly complex challenge when creating a system like this.
That the collaborative nature is a core tenet of the system isn’t a surprise, given the founders’ pedigree. Prior to Robust, CTO Rodney Brooks founded Rethink Robotics, which also centered on human-robot interactions (HRI). While plenty of column space has been devoted to a future in which humanoid and other robots have entirely replaced their human counterparts, that’s a distant vision, at best.