Scientists have created the first ‘humanoid’ robot that can mimic the facial expressions and lip movements of a human being. ‘Jules’ - a disembodied androgynous robotic head - is controlled only by his own software and automatically copies the movement and expressions of a human face. Human face movements are picked up by a video camera and mapped onto the tiny electronic motors in Jules’ skin. It can grin and grimace, furrow its brow, and ’speak’ as the software translates real expressions observed through video camera ‘eyes’. ‘Jules’ then mimics the facial expressions of the human by converting the video image into digital commands that make the robot’s servos and motors produce mirrored movements.
And it a
ll happens in real time as Jules can interpret the commands at 25 frames per second.
The project, called ‘Human-Robot Interaction’, was devised at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), run by the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol. A team of robotics engineers - Chris Melhuish, Neill Campbell and Peter Jaeckel - spent three-and-a-half years developing the breakthrough software to create interaction between humans and artificial intelligence. ‘Jules’, has 34 internal motors covered with flexible rubber (’Frubber’) skin, which was commissioned from roboticist David Hanson in the US for the BRL. It was originally programmed to act out a series of movements - as can be seen in the video - where ‘Jules’ talks about ‘destroying Wales’. But cutting edge software now enables Jules to translate what it ’sees’ through video ‘eyes’ into equivalent movements on its face. The technology works using ten stock human emotions - such as happiness, sadness, concern etc - that the team ‘taught’ Jules via programming.
The software then maps what it sees to Jules’ face to combine expressions instantly to mimic those being shown by a human subject. ‘We have a repertoire of behaviours that somehow is dynamic’, Chris Melhuish said. ‘If you want people to be able to interact with machines, then you’ve got to be able to do it naturally. When it moves it has to look natural. ‘When it moves it has to look natural in the same way that human expressions are, to make interaction useful.’ Peter Jaeckel, who works in artificial emotion, artificial empathy and humanoids at the BRL, said: ‘Realistic, life-like robot appearance is crucial for sophisticated face-to-face robot - human interaction.
‘Robot appearance and behaviour need to be well matched to meet expectations formed by our social experience.
‘Violation of these expectations due to subtle imperfections or imbalance between appearance and behaviour results in discomfort in humans that perceive or observe the robot.
‘If people were put off it would counter-act all efforts to achieve trustworthiness, reliability and emotional intelligence.
‘All these are requirements for robotic companions, assisting astronauts in space or care robots employed as social companions for the elderly.
‘Unlike most research projects the focus lies on dynamic, subtle, facial expressions, rather than static exaggerated facial displays.
‘Copycat robot heads have been created before, but never with realistic human-looking faces.’
But not everyone is impressed by Jules’s mastery of mimicry.
Kerstin Dautenhahn, a robotics researcher at the University of Herefordshire, believes that people may be disconcerted by humanoid automatons that simply look ‘too human’.
‘Research has shown that if you have a robot that has many human-like features, then people might actually react negatively towards it’, she said.
‘If you expose vulnerable people, like children or elderly people, to something that they might mistake for human, then you would automatically encourage a social relationship.
‘They might easily be fooled to think that this robot not only looks like a human and behaves like a human, but that it can also feel like a human. And that’s not true.’
It is hoped that the technology developed in Jules will help create robots for use in space, to accompany astronauts on solo missions, and in healthcare settings and nursing homes.
Tags: huma robot interaction, humanooid, jules, realistic, robot, robotics
Osamu Tezuka at the poor-robot.com website has a very cool and very small robot that is the diameter of a coin! Although th
ere is not a robot kit offered, it would be quite possible to build your own pico robot with a few replacement parts. You can find the design and build information here including some demonstration videos and source code.
Tags: pico, robot kits, robots
The folks over at BudgetRobots.com have a robot kit that looks like it has some specs for a mere $99! A complete autonomous robot kit can be built that includes Parallax BASIC Stamp 2e microcontroller, a 30 pin long bread board prototyping area, 2 double bearing servo motors, 3 1/2″ wheels, printed manual, software cds.
A few common tools (screwdrivers, pliers, and a soldering iron) are all you need to make a really cool robot that is ready for expansion. For an extra $30 bucks, you can get a line folowing expansion kit, and 2 wheel encoders. This robot kit would make a great robot kit for kids that are a little older (remember you need to use a soldering iron to assemble this robot). More information can be found at the budgetbot.com website.
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The new Traxster robot kit from the Robotics Connection has many new features that makes this one of, of not THE best robot kit that is based on a tread or track design for the money. One of the best features that strike the robot builder is the aluminum base that has no sharp edges and is beautifully powder coated finished.
The ABS treads arepretty durable, but this robot kit is meant for indoor use on carpets or hard floors. The added holes to the aluminum base can accommodate a broad range of accessories such as microcontrollers, vision systems (CMUcam camer systems), sensor systems, or even a robotic arm. This is a really cool robot kit that is a little more money than some of the kits we have reviewed, but the quality of design is apparent throughout the kit.
Tags: robot kits, robot tracks, traxster, treads