This article is not a review of Terminator 4 (a.k.a transforminators rip off!), but on the latest developments from Willow Garage. Willow garage is a start-up founded by Scott Hassan, one of the designers of Google, and Google was first launched from a garage on Willow road in Menlo Park, California.  Willow garage is developing a new generation of personal assistants, named Personal Robot (PR2).

PR2 has completed initial stages of testing successfully. PR2 can navigate through office environment and even open doors. PR2 can also plug in to wall socket, when it needs to be recharged, which is the innovation of PR2. It may seem like a small step for mankind, but it is a giant step for robotics. PR2 during its test run opened 10 standard wall doors and also plugged in to wall sockets in less than an hour. It also completed navigating 26.2 miles inside willow garage’s office.  Roboticists around the world have seen this development as unprecedented.

PR2 has also successfully demonstrated that it is smart robot. The robot had undergone test of common office scenarios through simulation. One such test was to learn to avoid human office mates, and PR2 cleared the test with flying colours. Another test was to test its persistence, and PR2 aced it. The PR2 did not stop until it plugged and recharged. In another test, PR2 was tested for its logical decision making ability. The test was stimulated by placing a locked door in front of it. The PR2 tried a few times and realized it was closed and moved on!

PR2 has set the bar high for office based robots. PR2 is developed on an open source platform, so that researchers can contribute to the development of the robot. Willow garage is also plans to provide other organizations with PR2s so that PR2 can be customized to suit office requirements. This step will allow for easier integration of PR2 in to the office environment. The day will come when you will be competing with a PR2 for a secretary job; Buckle up!