Sberbank Rossii PAO (MCX:SBER) and Microsoft Research (MSR) announced a joint initiative to explore the use of Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in robotics. The project involves training robots to interact with real-world objects in the same way that humans do.
Researchers at Sberbank will be working with their MSR counterparts in Redmond, Washington. The team will try to find effective ways to control manipulators that use the capabilities of an AI platform developed by Microsoft.
The platform uses machine learning, including reinforcement learning, and simulation modeling in virtual reality to develop autonomous AI systems that can function in the real world. The initiative relies on research conducted in Sberbank’s robotics lab, which focuses on the precise manipulation of objects with different and changing shapes. Computer vision and deep learning are used to enhance the process.
The research team plans to develop an updated control system to run the robotics unit that will increase labor productivity when counting coins. The solution consists of a manipulator, an arm grabber, and several video cameras. It aims to remove toil and ensure occupational safety of the operators who have to remove coin bags from carts while working at cash handling and cash-in-transit centers. This could improve the bank’s overall efficiency.
The research study’s findings will be used while preparing academic papers on the different use cases for AI.
Sberbank has regularly adopted AI solutions to improve its business process. In February 2019, the bank launched an AI-enhanced chatbot that helps people who use Sberbank’s electronic trading system (Sberbank Markets).
In May 2017, Sberbank revealed the “Kuka Hand,” a robotic hand for sorting and counting money.