Some days, we can barely open a pickle jar with two hands, but this OpenAI one-handed robot can solve a Rubik’s Cube in four minutes thanks to visual sensors and an algorithm to help it make the required moves to solve the game that has frustrated generations. The project started back in May of 2017, and the team just conquered the task perfectly. Dactyl has a remarkably high level of dexterity with 24 joints and the kind of coordination we can only hope bomb techs have. The incredible accomplishment involved using what’s known as Automatic Domain Randomization or ADR, in order to accurately model the real world by generating increasingly difficult environments in simulation and transferring those to the physical execution, allowing Dactyl to not only understand how to solve the puzzle but also manage the moves to do it. Now, where are those pickles?
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Huckberry’s Essential Holiday Gift Guide
Unzip your coat and have some mulled wine on the house—you’ve arrived at your final gifting destination: The Holiday Gift Guide. It’s like your friendly neighborhood one-stop holiday shop, except instead of balsa wood ornaments, ours is packed with thoughtful gifts for everyone on your list. Future heirlooms, small-but-significant stocking stuffers, and gear for getting out there (or staying in)—are all right here. There’s no music playing in the background though, so you’ll just have to hum Bing Crosby while you click around instead.
