Robot Assembles IKEA Chair in Only 20 Minutes

Tackling an issue that has vexed humans for years, a robot from Nanyang Technological University was programmed to assemble one of IKEA's Stefan pine chairs. What ends up being an hour-long exercise in frustration for a normal person is translated into a simple 20-minute project for the two-armed robot. The researchers programmed the device to "read" IKEA's assembly manual, before mapping the task, planning its motions and finally piecing the furniture together. It took more than one attempt, bu...