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Local Congressmen Visit the CATS
President Shirley Ann Jackson, Congressman Paul Tonko, and Congressman Chris Gibson spent the morning of Aug. 15 at the Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS) media open house. The mission of CATS is to boost economic development in New York state by pushing forward the boundaries of manufacturing technology. For more than 20 years, CATS has worked with partner companies to apply the knowledge and expertise of Rensselaer faculty, staff, and students toward solving real-world advanced manufacturing challenges.
CATS robotics research focuses on harnessing the potential of robots. The center investigates how robots can better handle and manipulate objects that are flexible and bulky objects. Other investigations include human-robot collaboration in construction and assembly, and robot assistants and companions for hospital patients and the elderly. The CATS open house showcased robot platforms, including a recently acquired Yaskawa Motoman dual-arm system, two PUMA robots on platforms, and multiple iRobot CREATE mobile robots. The demonstration showed how a robot can be programmed to mimic human movement or interpret gestures as commands. CATS has developed open-source software, called Robot Raconteur, for controlling these and other kinds of robots.
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