Robots are already adept at certain things, such as lifting objects that are too heavy or cumbersome for people to manage. Another application they’re well suited for is the precision assembly of items like watches that have large numbers of tiny parts — some so small they can barely be seen with the naked eye. “Much harder are tasks that require situational awareness, involving almost instantaneous adaptations to changing circumstances in the environment,” explains Theodoros Stouraitis, a visiting scientist in the Interactive Robotics Group at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial…