Jigsaw: The Puzzle Solving Robot

Introduction

• Introduction of Jigsaw, a robot designed to solve jigsaw puzzles efficiently.
• Expected to be 200 times faster than the fastest human jigsaw puzzler.

Human Skills in Jigsaw Puzzling

• Humans perform four complex tasks in jigsaw puzzling:
  1. Picking Up a Piece
     • Human hands are complex with 27 bones and 34 muscles.
     • High nerve concentration in fingertips for precision.
     • Opposable thumbs allow for better manipulation.
  2. Rotating the Piece to the Correct Orientation
     • Uses the flexibility and strength of human hands and arms.
  3. Moving the Piece into Position
     • Human arm structure allows for accurate movement in a 3D space.
  4. Deciding Where the Piece Should Go
     • Involves visual perception, pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, and memory.

Engineering Challenges for Jigsaw

• Challenges in Robot Design:
  • Translate 200 million years of human evolution into robotic abilities.
• Solution for Picking Up Pieces:
  • Used specialized suction cups instead of opposable thumbs.
• Rotation Precision:
  • Utilized fine-tuned motors for precise rotation (0.005 degrees).
• Movement:
  • Upgraded motors for accurate placement (to 0.0005 inches).
• Deciding Placement:
  • The hardest task, leveraging edge analysis instead of pattern recognition.

Edge Analysis Technique

• Jigsaw uses a camera to capture images of pieces and isolate edges.
• Spline Matching:
  • Converts edges into splines and matches them for placement.
• Overlap Area Calculation:
  • Determines fit by calculating overlapping area of splines.
• Backtracking:
  • If the puzzle reaches a dead end, Jigsaw backtracks to find alternative fits.

Testing with Larger Puzzles

• Attempt to solve a 1000-piece all-white puzzle after scaling up.
• Performance:
  • Took 1.5 hours to take pictures and less than a minute to analyze placements.
• Assembly Issues:
  • Errors due to slop between pieces and shifts during assembly.
• Final Adjustments:
  • Introduced a feedback loop using a height encoder for better placement.

Jigsaw vs. Human Challenge

• Introduction of Tammy McLeod, the fastest jigsaw puzzler, to compete against Jigsaw.
• Initial Matches:
  • Tammy completes a 30-piece puzzle in 1 minute 5 seconds.
• 500-Piece Puzzle Challenge:
  • Tammy struggles but demonstrates effective puzzling strategies.
  • Provides 4 tips for efficient puzzling:
    1. Turn all pieces over for visibility.
    2. Don’t always start with edge pieces; consider the puzzle's design.
    3. Group similar pieces to reduce search space.
    4. Sort similar-looking pieces by shape.

Final Showdown

• Jigsaw faces off against Tammy in a 1000-piece puzzle.
• Jigsaw solves the puzzle faster due to advanced algorithms and hardware.
• Conclusion: Jigsaw represents the advancement of robotic capabilities in puzzle solving.

Conclusion

• Promotes CrunchLabs Hack Pack for teens and adults to learn robotic engineering.
• Opportunity for students to engage in hands-on projects and improve skills.
• Giveaway offer for a free box to early subscribers.