We first heard concerning the child-like iCub humanoid robotic again in 2011, when it was nominated to participate within the Olympic Torch Relay. The newest and best model, the iCub 3, was the star of a recently-announced (and fairly spectacular) telepresence demonstration.
Developed on the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology, or IIT), the biped iCub 3 contains a whole of 53 actuated levels of freedom – seven in every arm, 9 in every hand, six within the head, three within the torso/waist and 6 in every leg. Its head incorporates swivelling stereo cameras which function eyes, twin microphones for ears, and animated strains of LEDs which characterize its mouth and eyebrows inside its face panel.
Tactile sensors inside every of its fingertips moreover give the robotic a way of contact. It’s 25 cm taller and 19 kg heavier than earlier fashions, topping out at 1.25 m (4 ft, 1 in) and tipping the scales at 52 kg (115 lb). Other enhancements embody a higher-capacity battery (positioned within the torso versus on the again); extra highly effective leg motors for sooner strolling speeds; higher, extra human-like stability and locomotion; plus a brand new depth-sensing digicam.
IIT
For the demo – which passed off on Nov. eighth, 2021 – the robotic was positioned on the seventeenth International Architecture Exhibition’s Italian Pavilion in Venice, whereas its operator was 300 km (186 mi) away at an IIT lab within the metropolis of Genova. A regular fiber optic connection was used to hyperlink the 2.
The operator utilized a set of wearable units, which is called the iFeel system. These devices embody a number of IMUs (inertial measurement models) positioned at varied places on a physique swimsuit; “gloves” that each observe the consumer’s finger actions and relay tactile sensations from the robotic’s finger pads; and a VR headset – the latter tracks the consumer’s facial expressions, eyelids and eye actions, picks up their voice, plus it permits them to see what the robotic is seeing, and to listen to what it is listening to.
Additionally, the operator stood in a VR rig that allowed them to stroll on the spot.
IIT
This mixture of applied sciences let robotic function an avatar for the operator, because it walked across the pavilion, had a dialog with a human tour information, shook their hand, and even hugged them – for the latter, haptic suggestions models within the torso of the physique swimsuit let the operator really feel that hug. Everything occurred in actual time, with a lag of just a few milliseconds.
“We imagine that this analysis route has an incredible potential in lots of fields,” mentioned the challenge’s coordinator, IIT’s Daniele Pucci. “On the one hand, the current pandemic taught us that superior telepresence methods may turn out to be essential in a short time throughout completely different fields, like healthcare and logistics. On the opposite hand, avatars might permit folks with extreme bodily disabilities to work and attain duties in the true world by way of the robotic physique. This could also be an evolution of rehabilitation and prosthetics applied sciences.”
Highlights from the iCub 3 demonstration will be seen within the following video.
iCub 3 Avatar System – Tele esistenza
Source: IIT