Fetching Robot
From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider - 11/24/2008

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have engineered a
biologically inspired robot that mirrors the actions of service dogs. Users
verbally command the robot to complete a task, and the robot responds once a
basic laser pointer illuminates the location of the desired action. 

For instance, if a person needs an item fetched, that individual would
normally command a service dog to do so and then gesture with their hands
toward the location. The service robot mimics the process, with the hand
gesture replaced by aiming the laser pointer at the desired item. The robot
was able to replicate 10 tasks and commands taught to service dogs, including
opening drawers and doors - with impressive efficiency. Other successes
included opening a microwave oven, delivering an object, and placing an item
on a table. 

"It's a road to get robots out there helping people sooner," said Professor
Charlie Kemp, Georgia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering. "Service
dogs have a great history of helping people, but there's a multi-year waiting
list. It's a very expensive thing to have. We think robots will eventually
help to meet those needs."  

Read the entire article at:
Robotic Technology Inspired by Service Dogs
http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?id=2219