Better Than Human

(upbeat xylophone)

[Narrator] Meet Baxter.

Designed by the inventor of the Roomba vacuum,

it's a pioneering example of a new class

of affordable industrial robots

that are meant to work safely alongside humans.

Once Baxter is out of its crate,

the bot can be working in less than an hour.

Just plug it in and guide its arms

through the sequence of tasks

while clicking icons on its face.

Unlike robots that require programmers

to code their movements,

Baxter can be trained to do repetitive operations

by just about anyone.

It's also aware of people working nearby,

automatically detecting when someone enters its workspace

and slowing down for safety.

Specialized motors and compliant joints prevent injury

to human coworkers in the event of contact.

Once industrial robots can play nice with people,

it will revolutionize the way we automate manufacturing.

(upbeat jazzy xylophone)