These days, you can learn just about anything from YouTube videos — from how to tie a knot to the best way to open a wine bottle with a shoe. And it isn’t just humans who are benefitting. University of Maryland researchers have programmed a robot to learn basic cooking skills from YouTube videos, a feat that could eventually be expanded into other skills like equipment repair.

The researchers worked with Baxter, a robot built by Rethinking Robotics. Baxter is popular for its safety around humans and ease of use; it can be programmed quickly just by moving its arms, and it is smart enough to adapt to a changing work area.

But Baxter’s default software isn’t smart enough to understand a video, let alone recognize the correct measuring cup or ingredient. With the Maryland team’s help, Baxter was able to watch YouTube videos and learn what types of objects…