The world’s largest online-only grocer Ocado, often called “the Amazon of food” and one of the UK’s most exciting tech companies is developing an autonomous robot that will be helping factory engineers fix mechanical faults and it would be able to learn  on the job and to perform better. The robotics team at Ocado Technology is working in cooperation with four universities across the European Union.

The SecondHands humanoid is a revolutionary robotics project that could later be used across various work places.

SecondHands will be “the most advanced assistive robot in the world”, according to its creators. The robot combines artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced sensors to understand and assist humans. It uses 3D vision to see both depth and color. Artificial intelligence will allow the robot to learn by example and respond to its surroundings. As soon as the robot is trained in a series of basic tasks, SecondHands will be able to apply what it has learnt to solve problems; it will learn from experience and will provide assistance “when it is needed without been asked”. Also, the robot will be able to understand human speech and respond to voice commands.

SecondHands will feature humanoid shape and flexibility that will help the machine work with humans more naturally. Early versions will operate on wheels, however, in the future the robot might move on tank tracks or legs.  Initially, it is planned to operate in a human factory and later, the robot could be used in activities too dangerous for humans, such as handling toxic materials. If the robotics project is successful, it will later find uses almost elsewhere.