This new two-armed robot could soon revolutionize home care

Preserving Independence in the Home

Robots are beginning to enter one of the most personal spaces in our lives: the home. As people age, the rhythm and pace of daily life often change. Tasks that once seemed effortless can become real challenges. Carrying a glass of water, remembering to take medication, or setting the table for dinner may seem like small actions, but they are deeply meaningful. They help preserve independence and dignity in everyday life.

For years, engineers have been working to develop robots capable of assisting with these everyday moments. The goal is to create practical assistants that can move safely through kitchens and living rooms. Thanks to recent advances, this possibility is now beginning to seem more realistic.

Researchers at Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M) have developed a new way for a robot to coordinate its two arms smoothly and autonomously. They presented their work at IROS 2025, one of the world’s largest robotics conferences. Their system paves the way for service robots to perform more natural movements and learn household tasks more easily.

ADAM: The Challenge of Two-Arm Coordination

Getting a robot to move one arm smoothly is already a challenge. Getting two arms to work together without colliding is a whole different story. Humans do this without even realizing it, but robots cannot. The team tackled this challenge using a robot named ADAM, short for Autonomous Domestic Ambidextrous Manipulator (Autonomous Domestic Ambidextrous Manipulator). ADAM already performs assistive tasks in home-like environments.

Alicia Mora, one of the researchers in the Mobile Robots Group at the UC3M Robotics Laboratory, explains the machine’s current capabilities: “It can set the table and then clear it, tidy up the kitchen, or bring a user a glass of water or medication at the specified time.” She adds a detail about mobility assistance: “It can also help them when they go out by bringing them a coat or other clothing.”

ADAM was designed with older adults in mind. Ramón Barber, director of the Mobile Robotics Group at UC3M, highlights the human impact of this technology: “We all know people for whom simple gestures—such as someone bringing them a glass of water with a pill or setting the table for them—make a huge difference.”

A Learning Method Inspired by Living Organisms

In the past, programming a robot meant writing endless lines of code to define every joint angle and every movement. It was slow and inflexible: if anything changed, the robot would fail. The new approach draws on the way humans learn. It uses imitation-based learning. A person shows the robot how to perform a task, either by directly guiding its arm or by performing the action while sensors record it. The robot studies the movement and builds a model of it.

However, simply copying isn’t enough. If a bottle moves a few centimeters across a table, a robot that merely repeats a recorded movement will miss it. Real life is chaotic: objects move, people move. To solve this, researchers combined imitation learning with a mathematical method called “Gaussian Belief Propagation.”

Each arm learns its task separately. Then, the two arms share information via this mathematical system. This acts like a constant internal conversation, allowing them to adjust in real time. They avoid collisions with each other and with nearby objects, and they don’t need to stop and replan from scratch. The result is movement that adapts smoothly as conditions change. The researchers describe the learned motion as behaving like a rubber band.

If the target moves, the trajectory stretches and reshapes itself while retaining the main characteristics of the action. If the robot is pouring water, it keeps the bottle upright to prevent spills, even if the cup is in a slightly different location. In a paper presented at IROS 2025 by researchers Adrián Prados and Gonzalo Espinoza, the team demonstrated that this method works both in simulations and on real household robots. Adrián Prados explains the team’s vision: “The ultimate goal is for robots to stop being mere movement recorders and become true colleagues, capable of perceiving their environment, anticipating actions, and collaborating safely in human spaces.”

Under the Hood: Perception, Reasoning, and Action

Internally, ADAM’s operation follows a clear cycle: perception, reasoning, and action. First, it senses the world. It uses 2D and 3D laser sensors to measure distances, detect obstacles, and locate objects. It also relies on RGB cameras with depth information to build three-dimensional models of its environment.

Next comes reasoning. The robot processes the data and extracts what matters. It identifies objects and assesses the situation. Then it acts. It can move its base, coordinate its two arms, or perform a specific task such as picking up a mug. Understanding objects is one of the most difficult parts. Seeing a mug is not the same as knowing that it contains coffee or that it must remain upright.

Previously, robots relied on large common-sense knowledge databases. Now, researchers are working to incorporate generative AI models. These systems aim to help the robot adapt its behavior to what is happening in the present moment.

A Necessary Investment in the Face of Demographic Challenges

Currently, ADAM is an experimental platform. It costs between approximately $94,000 and $119,000 (or 80,000 to 100,000 euros). This price tag means it remains confined to research laboratories for now. However, the team believes the technology is mature enough that, within 10 to 15 years, similar robots could appear in homes at a much lower cost.

Timing is crucial. Many countries are facing a growing elderly population and a shortage of caregivers. Families are feeling the pressure, and care facilities are struggling to keep up. Technology will not replace human care, but it can fill in the gaps.

Ramón Barber concludes by highlighting this societal need: “Every day, there are more elderly people in our society and fewer people who can care for them, so these types of technological solutions will become increasingly necessary.” He adds: “In this context, assistive robots are emerging as a key tool for improving people’s quality of life and independence.”

Source: earth.com

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This new two-armed robot could soon revolutionize home care