Tai Chi Robot

[SPJ]

Tai Chi robot (http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b343/SPJ/8f257ce7.jpg)

:eek:

[PangQuan]

This is soo neat!

It now poses a new question;

At what point will robots actually be able to take place in real time combat??

Yes, we are very far away, but we are never the less on the path...

Will human sport combat be replaced by robot combat?

Will one day we see a kung fu robot vs a karate robot? This will be very interesting to see techniques played out in combat situations with out the fear of killing. A fight competition with no rules other than "disable your oponent"....

[SPJ]

robot soldier (http://www.sakakibara-kikai.co.jp/products/other/LW.htm)

:eek:

[PangQuan]

OMG :eek:

A freaking mech power armor!!!!

I dont have a language pack installed on this comp...

Are those weapons live?

[SPJ]

My Japanese is limited.

However, the company makes agricultural machinery.

The robot only fires rubber balls.

It moves like a snail even slower than a Tai Chi practitioner.

But the concept of building one and marching in the battle field will be like an episode in Star Wars by George Lucas films.

:D

[PangQuan]

give it 50 years...

[David Jamieson]

give it 10 :p

[PangQuan]

give it 9, double :p

[SimonM]

Freakin Mecha!!!!!

[SPJ]

Will robot replace dogs and cats to be the companion at your home? (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050915/tc_nm/japan_robot_dc_2;_ylt=Amx16ryMO7K6Tsus15yf1_LmWMcF ;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3JlbA--)

Check out "Waka maru" by Mitsubishi.

:D

[SPJ]

I got the news and photo from Chinese local paper.

Here is the link to the news in English.

shadow boxing biped (http://english.people.com.cn/200509/19/eng20050919_209421.html)

:)

[SPJ]

Care for a Tai Chi pushhand or Tui Shou with "Hui Tong"?

:eek:

[Samurai Jack]

Real military robots:

http://www.defensereview.com/1_31_2004/Metal%20Storm%2040mm%20Grenade%20Talon%20Robot%20D emo_3.jpg

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/military-robot-14.jpg

http://www.gizmohighway.com/robotics/talon_robot.htm

I want one that'll walk the wife to her car at night!

[gfx]

I guess they did it to to imitate the robot from Kawada industries:
http://www.plyojump.com/hrp.html

But the whole point of the HRP-2 dancing was to saving Japanese traditional dance from dying out. Does this mean we will need to save our forms from extinctions as well? :S

[Ou Ji]

http://i4u.com/article2536.html

[GeneChing]

Check out Sony's tai chi robot (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7858298993752067459&q=qrio+thi+chi). Sony and Nirvana Tech needs to stage a push hands match.

[Bagua8]

Dude....... that is so freaking cool.

[FuXnDajenariht]

SONY Tai Chi robot:

yea dude. thats the sweetest thing ever. :D :D

very futuristic looking too.

long gone are the days of robots tipping over on the first 2 steps.

did you see the sweet kick it did? total awesomeness :D

[GeneChing]

Not quite a robot. More like a robotic skateboard. Click link for pic.


Professor, students build scooter based on Tai Chi principles (http://www.lafayette-online.com/science-technology/2009/03/tai-chi-driven-scooter/)
By Kim Medaris, Purdue University News Service
Posted March 17, 2009 (109 views)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Motorized scooters controlled through the use of handlebars are a frequent sight on sidewalks, but a Purdue University professor and his students have built a scooter that relies more heavily on the rider’s sense of balance.

Henry Zhang, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology, along with four students, spent several months building a hands-free, two-wheeled, self-balancing scooter based on the principles of Tai Chi, a form of Chinese martial arts that centers on focusing the mind and staying aware of your center of balance.

The scooter contains a platform to stand on, and the on-off, and turning functions are initiated by the rider via a remote control. Zhang said that what makes their machine unique is that there is no handlebar for driving or steering. Instead, these actions are controlled by the rider shifting his or her Tai Chi poses. The scooter is driven forward and backward through the rider’s self-balancing, and its turning is controlled by optical encoder signal feedback that monitors the angular displacement of the remotely triggered DC motor with gear reduction.

The machine was designed and built in Purdue’s Multidisciplinary Design Lab at the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology. Zhang and his students did the wiring, coding and assembly. The scooter has multiple functions and safety features with a real-time controller, latching relay system, drives and motors. Multiple sensor fusion perceives the movement of the rider and feeds the signals to the controller to slow down or accelerate the machine accordingly. The machine is powered with three 24-volt, 40-amp rechargeable batteries. The scooter’s top speed is about 15 mph.

Zhang said his goal with the project is to use the scooter as a tangible example of what he terms “hands-on, minds-on” interdisciplinary projects for learning and research that students can pursue if they study in the College of Technology.

Students working with Zhang on the project were Qiong Li, Danny Rodriguez and Ryne McHugh, all graduate students in mechanical engineering technology; and James Walls, a freshman in electrical and computer engineering technology.

[Lucas]

thats awesome lol

will we get to see G. W. Bush get dumped on this one too?

[xcakid]

http://www.plasticpals.com/?p=14243

[Skip J.]

Not quite a robot. More like a robotic skateboard. Click link for pic.
very cool!!!!

[Skip J.]

http://www.plasticpals.com/?p=14243
Boy - I wish we could stay in sync that close......

Thanks xcakid.....

[SanHeChuan]

Chinese Sword Fighting Robot (http://www.i4u.com/article4248.html)

[GeneChing]

If you held a demolition derby on Boilermaker Ones, would it be like push hands?

Professor creates hands-free scooter (http://www.purdueexponent.org/index.php/module/Section/section_id/printView/index.php?module=article&story_id=18333)
By Kerry Kirk
Features Editor
Publication Date: 10/20/2009

A Purdue professor used the ideas of Tai Chi to create a hands-free scooter called “The Boilermaker One.”

Henry Zhang, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering said he is favored by students for his life-experience and can make something “so complicated, very simple.”

“I always try to make complicated things simpler; I always try to help students understand complicated things in a simple way,” he said.

After obtaining five degrees between China and America, Zhang said he enjoys the world of academia because of six different aspects: teaching, learning, being practical, being useful, being beneficial (making money) and touching on a variety of fields.

He worked at Chrysler for 13 years and estimated 20 percent of the cars on the road are using his design. He designed the hydraulic control system and sensors in automatic transmissions used in all front-wheel drive vehicles.

“When I teach students, they love it because I can give examples,” he said. “They love it when you have real-world experience.”

“The Boilermaker One” looks much like a Segway without handle bars and is controlled by sensors and a remote control. Zhang explained that people can’t fall off because when it leans forward, the scooter moves with the body.

“Our scooter is hands-free, self-balancing and fully remote-controlled,” he said. “It relies more heavily on the rider's sense of balance. Its control codes are done by graphic programming, and it has a sensor fusion and real-time parallel, processing optimal control.”

Although Tai Chi is a difficult practice, Zhang said it is based on its fundamental teachings.

“Tai Chi’s poses are very complicated; we only need very simple ones to drive the scooter,” he said, these include having focus and knowing your center of body.

The scooter can hit about 15 mph with a battery life of up to 15 minutes, or 10,000 feet. Zhang said he and the four students working on the scooter are planning on putting the motor in the hub on their next model to make it more compact. They have spent nine months trying to perfect “The Boilermaker One” and will soon start working to create the smaller version, “Boilermaker Two.”

Zhang said he designed the scooter strictly for educational purposes and has no intention of marketing it.

“It’s too complicated and there are already Segways,” he said. “The whole thing is to show my students how to design a complicated system like that.

“We started from scratch, designed it with beauty and made it right.”

James Walls, a sop****re in the College of Technology said it was a challenge to design the scooter, but they succeeded.

“We had a good time working on this project together,” he said.

Zhang is happy with his design and excited to improve the scooter.

“We do not need to stretch far to impress people,” Zhang said. “It’s a smart machine; that is enough for it.”

[TaichiMantis]

Dang...must...seek...video...;)

[GeneChing]

There's vid - follow the link.

Korean Engineers Create Sword-Wielding, Tai Chi Robot (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96128-Korean-Engineers-Create-Sword-Wielding-Tai-Chi-Robot)
Logan Westbrook posted on 15 November 2009 9:34 am

The Korean Insitute of Advanced Sciene and Technology has created a robot that seems a little bit more capable than other recent offerings.

Ok, let's be honest with each other here, robots are cool. Sure, we might make joke about Skynet, but I'm willing to bet that most of you would love to see a future filled with helpful android butlers and the robotic pets scampering around. The only problem is that real robots seem a long way off being the kind of companions that we so long for, I mean, you can't play football with a robot that can't walk faster than a crawl.

Well, Hubo isn't going to be the bot that changes all that I'm afraid, but it does seem to be a step in the right direction. He's not especially quick on his feet, and to be honest, the way it can move its fingers freaks me out a little, but it can do tai-chi and it can swing a foam sword around, and that has to count for something, right?

Lt. Commander Data he ain't, but it's a step in the right direction. If only they had given him a cheery face.

[TaichiMantis]

Ok, this is robot related...not tai chi but boxing. Hugh Jackman may be filming part of his new sci-fi flick "Real Steel" (http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/01/will_hugh_jackman_film_part_of.html) in West MI...be still my heart!:p


"Real Steel" will be directed by Shawn Levy (the "Night at the Museum" films). The story is set in the future, when boxers are replaced by robots. An ex-fighter, played by Jackman (best known as Wolverine in the "X-Men" movies), is a struggling promoter building 'bots with his 11-year-old son.

[MartialDev]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvaXibEWIm8

[Lucas]

domo arigato mr roboto :D

[GeneChing]

Samurai robot!


A New Samurai Robot From Japan (http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/11/a_new_samurai_robot_from_japan.html)
Posted on Nov 10, 10 04:07 AM PDT
A New Samurai Robot From Japan
http://www.ubergizmo.com/photos/2010/11/Samurai-Robot.jpg
JR Propo and Matsuyoshi Dolls have teamed up to create a samurai robot based on Date Masamune, a real-life samurai who founded the modern day city of Sendai. The robot stands tall at 67cm, weighs 10kg and is able to offer five spoken phrases. In terms of visuals, the robot does look impressive, though its 1,000,000 Yen ($12,300) price tag will be a deterrent to many. The president of Matsuyoshi Dolls has said that they aren't actually planning on selling it, though they might rent it out for corporate events and the robot's first job was to help open the 23rd Industrial Exhibition in Higashi, Osaka. Perhaps we'll be seeing samurai robot armies in the future.

[GeneChing]

Humanoid robots practice Tai Chi at equipment expo (http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/730531.shtml)
Xinhua | 2012-9-2 11:07:07
By Agencies

http://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2011/d8a44a47-3262-4a2e-b5d0-c55ed77b23fa.jpeg
http://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2011/65f749f3-c6c6-401c-86e9-1792c0367829.jpeg
A humanoid robot known as "Nao" is seen during the 11th China International Equipment Manufacturing Exposition in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 1, 2012. A total of four humanoid robots, which can sing, dance and even demonstrate the popular martial art Tai chi, were displayed during the Exposition. Photo: Xinhua
I've been trying to visualize a non-humanoid robot practicing Tai Chi...:confused:

[GeneChing]

Wickedly cool pix if you follow the link.

Tai Chi on Mars: Nasa tests out Curiosity's robot arm as engineers reveal the tiny piece of New Mexico on the red planet (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2201386/Nasa-tests-Curiositys-robot-arm-engineers-reveal-tiny-piece-New-Mexico-red-planet.html?openGraphAuthor=%2Fhome%2Fsearch.html% 3Fs%3D%26authornamef%3DMark%2BPrigg)

Engineers say seeing latest pictures were a 'profoundly emotional moment'
Robotic arm carrying out 'some very complex tai chi' to test its movement
Piece of New Mexico rock and a 1909 penny being used to calibrate instruments

By Mark Prigg
PUBLISHED: 03:48 EST, 11 September 2012 | UPDATED: 04:32 EST, 11 September 2012

Nasa has revealed new pictures of Curiosity 'looking back' at one of its cameras on the martian surface.

It comes as they confirmed the rover has now tested its robotic arm successfully, using a 1909 penny and a piece of rock from New Mexico to calibrate its instruments.

The team admitted even they were surprised by the quality of images being sent back after dust covers were removed from the rover's main cameras.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/09/11/article-0-14F44F16000005DC-159_964x438.jpg
Nasa today released this incredible image of Curiosity on the red planet, showing off its wheels and four 'navcams' which act as the rover's eyes on the red planet.

'Wow, seeing these images after all the tremendous hard work that has gone into making them possible is a profoundly emotional moment,' said MAHLI Principal Investigator Ken Edgett of Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego.

'It is so exciting to see the camera returning beautiful, sharp images from Mars.'

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity stepped through activities on Sept. 7, 8 and 9 designed to check and characterize precision movements by the rover's robotic arm and use of tools on the arm.

The activities confirmed good health and usefulness of Mars Hand Lens Imager, or MAHLI, and used that camera to check arm placement during several positioning activities.

MAHLI took an image with its reclosable dust cover open for the first time on Mars, confirming sharp imaging capability that had been obscured by a thin film of dust on the cover during previous use of the camera.

It took images of cameras at the top of Curiosity's mast, of the underbelly of the rover and of MAHLI's own calibration target, among other pointings.

The camera's calibration target includes a 1909 Lincoln penny that Edgett purchased for this purpose.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/09/10/article-2200967-14F0131B000005DC-827_964x699.jpg
The team calibrated the camera using a 'lucky penny' on the rover's mast

'We're seeing the penny in the foreground and, looking past it, a setting I'm sure the people who minted these coins never imagined,' Edgett said.

The penny is a nod to geologists' tradition of placing a coin or other object of known scale as a size reference in close-up photographs of rocks, and it gives the public a familiar object for perceiving size easily when it will be viewed by MAHLI on Mars.

'The folks who drive the rover's arm and turret have taken a 220-pound arm through some very complex tai chi, to center a penny in an image that's only a few centimeters across,' said MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator Aileen Yingst of the Tucson-based Planetary Science Institute.

'They make the impossible look easy.'

The arm characterization activities, including more imaging by MAHLI, will continue for a few days before Curiosity resumes driving toward a mid-term science destination area called Glenelg.

In that area, the rover may use its scoop to collect a soil sample, and later its drill to collect a sample of powder from inside a rock.

Curiosity is five weeks into a two-year prime mission on Mars.

It will use 10 science instruments to assess whether the selected study area ever has offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.

[GeneChing]

November 14, 2012
China turns robotic (http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/china-turns-robotic/article4094713.ece)
Guardian News Media

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01268/china_robots_1268296f.jpg
A customer collects a drink from a robot waiter cycling around a restaurant in Jinan in eastern China's Shandong province in this December 2010 photograph. The restaurant features robots performing the tasks of waiters, receptionists and entertainers to attract customers. AP Photo

In China, there's no better time to be a robot. Pictures from last week's International Industry Fair in Shanghai show them duelling with light sabers, playing ping pong and dancing in lion costumes. One shows a female robot in a white wool coat shaking hands with a visitor.

According to the Frankfurt-based International Federation of Robotics, China could become the world's biggest consumer of industrial robots by 2014, with demand reaching 32,000 units. Gudrun Litzenberger, theorganisation's general secretary, has described China as the fastest-growing robot market in the world.

China has many reasons to embrace industrial robotics. Robots can improve energy efficiency and perform operations that would prove impossibly complex for even the best-trained humans. But the most important reasons are shifting demographics and basic economics: China's working-age population is shrinking, sending labour costs spiralling upwards.

“There aren't many young workers coming off the streets to fill jobs at factories. That's why you're seeing factory wages going up, and factories struggling to hire trained staff," said Geoff Crothall, a spokesman for the Hong Kong-based China Labor Bulletin. "It's not surprising that you'd see greater focus on greater automation of production”, he added.

China's growing affluence and family planning laws have had dramatic effects on its workforce. Improved medical care has enabled older generations to live longer, and the one-child policy has effectively capped the younger generation's size.

In 2000 there were six working-age citizens for each Chinese person aged 60 and up; 20 years from now, population experts predict, there will be only two. Young Chinese have no choice but to seek skilled, high-paying work to support their parents. They're better educated than their forebears, and less interested in menial assembly-line labour. Robots may fill the jobs they've left behind.

China still ranks low on the global robotic hierarchy, according to the state-run China Daily. Last year, there were 21 robots for every 10,000 workers in China, compared with a global average of 55. Japan has 339 robots for every 10,000 workers; Germany has 251.

This is changing. The Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn has revealed plans to boost its fleet of industrial robots from 10,000 to 1m within three years. According to the company's CEO, Terry Gou, robots will replace workers for tasks such as spraying, assembling and welding.

Chinese officials have openly championed the industry's growth. The Shanghai municipal government has called robotics "one of its major industries", wrote the China Daily. At a press conference on 12th November, the vice-minister for human resources and social security, Yang Zhiming, emphasised the need to "upgrade equipment and technology".

Where the government sees potential, Chinese firms see the potential for incentives. "China needs to subsidise its own enterprises - to improve its own equipment manufacturing, and to make sure that its own enterprises can compete with foreign technology," said an employee of the Shanghai-based SIASUN Robot and Automation Company. The employee said SIASUN had not yet received subsidies from the Shanghai government, but that a deal may be in the works.

Even outside the factory, robots - jiqiren in Chinese, literally "mechanical people" - have proliferated in China, many of them homegrown. China's National University of Defence Technology unveiled the country's first bipedal humanoid robot in 2000, after more than a decade of research. Chinese media lauded the block-headed robot as a technological advance, but its slapdash appearance - and the unfortunate placement of a protruding joint - made it the brunt of online jokes in tech-savvy Japan.

A Chinese farmer, Wu Yulu, shot to fame in 2009 for building robots that could pull rickshaws, climb walls and light visitors' cigarettes. One local television station dubbed him "China's cleverest farmer inventor",according to Reuters. In 2010, a hotpot restaurant opened in coastal Shandong province with more than a dozen Star Wars-style droids as entertainers and hosts.

In March, a Chinese restauranteur launched a line of 1,200 robots that can slice thick-cut noodles out of blocks of dough."Following the market's increase in demand for talent, young people aren't willing to do such dirty, tiring work," the restaurateur, Cui Runguan, told Zoomin.TV. "So not only in sliced noodle restaurants, but also in many other regards, we'll follow our technological development - and there will be many, many machines that can replace human labour." I'm a little surprised by this as I tend to think of Japan as more into robots. China has such a large human labor force that it just doesn't seem as economically sound to invest in robots.

[GeneChing]

Just like real Tai Chi...:eek:

Next thing you know, they'll make a Tai Chi robot that sits on its ass and posts drivel on this forum all day. :p


Busting a move: HKU unveils humanoid robot - and it breaks its ankle (http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1333875/busting-move-hku-unveils-humanoid-robot-and-it-breaks-its-ankle)
PUBLISHED : Friday, 18 October, 2013, 9:58am
UPDATED : Friday, 18 October, 2013, 2:54pm
Darren Wee darren.wee@scmp.com

http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486x302/public/2013/10/17/d023273b54c94bea752eaaf77c147cd4.jpg?itok=OPQKB8HW
The robot demonstrating tai chi. Photo: Jonathan Wong

A Terminator-like Atlas robot broke its ankle on its debut at the University of Hong Kong yesterday during a disastrous demonstration.

The 150kg, 1.9-metre-tall robot, which cost HK$15 million, is the most advanced humanoid robot to date, and HKU is the first institution outside the United States to own one.

But after demonstrating a short tai chi routine, the robot lost its balance and fell, breaking its right ankle.

HKU is competing against institutions including US space agency Nasa and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop software to control the Atlas in a robotics challenge funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

HKU Advanced Robotics Initiative leader Wyatt Newman said the university was the first of the seven competing institutions to get the robot's head, body and hands all working, but it would be six years before humanoid robots could be used in real-life situations.

[lkfmdc]

Next thing you know, they'll make a robot that sits on its ass and posts drivel on this forum all day. :p

there is a prototype forum with a bunch of robots posting this way already

http://kungfumagazine.com/

(think anyone will get this?)

[Kellen Bassette]

Just like real Tai Chi...:eek:

Next thing you know, they'll make a Tai Chi robot that sits on its ass and posts drivel on this forum all day. :p

The future is now.

[Faux Newbie]

Samurai robot!

Why does that picture remind me of trilogy of terror?

Reboot?

[Syn7]

In the next few years, you're gonna see a lot of this kind of thing. Even hobbyists are making some incredible bots. Mechatronics on the rise!

[GeneChing]

What? Labor is too expensive in China? srsly?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fck00L9h8D4

[GeneChing]

This one is an embedded vid, so you have to follow the link.


Could This Tai Chi-Teaching Robot Change Autism? (http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2014-08-11/could-this-tai-chi-teaching-robot-change-autism)

Aug. 12 (Bloomberg) –- Italian researchers have produced a prototype robot that can engage and monitor autistic children. Bloomberg’s Angus Bennett finds out how this innovative solution can treat those with the disorder. (Source: Bloomberg)

[GeneChing]

Meet Nao, a cute and friendly humanoid robot that can do Tai chi (http://venturebeat.com/2014/12/03/meet-nao-a-cute-and-friendly-humanoid-robot-that-can-do-tai-chi/)

http://1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nao-main-780x508.jpg
Above: Nao
Image Credit: Dean Takahashi
December 3, 2014 7:00 AM
Dean Takahashi

Nao could usher in the age of social humanoid robots that are designed to live and work with humans. Aldebaran Robotics, a French company owned by Japan’s SoftBank, has created five versions of the robots in the last nine years with this dream in mind.

Nao is a cute and friendly robot aimed at creating warm and fuzzy feelings. It costs a lot less than it once did, but is still pricey at around $7,000 to $8,000. I got a good look at the robot at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) in San Francisco yesterday. Among its tricks: He performed Tai chi exercises in a way that showed off his flexible joints, he got up from a squatting position, and he picked himself up once he was pushed on the ground.

Paris-based Aldebaran isn’t selling Nao directly to consumers yet. That’s coming in the next year or so. But it is exploring applications for schools and universities, such as helping children with autism through interactive games and apps. SoftBank is using a different version, dubbed Pepper, to improve the customer experience at its SoftBank mobile stores in Japan.

“He’s not going to be able to open the fridge and get you a beer,” said Laura Bokobza, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Aldebaran Robotics in an interview with VentureBeat. “But we do believe he will be a good companion robot. They will be helpers in a different sense. They may remind you it’s your anniversary today.”

http://1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nao-2.jpg
Above: Nao
Image Credit: Aldebaran Robotics

Nao is a 58-centimeter tall robot that can be easily told what to do using an object-oriented program on a computer. Using the NAOqi middleware software, you can tell him how to use his sensors, motors, and brain. As such, the robot is a good way to introduce children to programming, Bokobza said. More sophisticated programmers can look at the underlying code and efficiently choreograph a bunch of complex tasks. Over time, Nao can evolve with upgraded software. The software is proprietary, but it is based on a version of Linux.

Nao was first created in 2006. He’s a lot more sophisticated now, and he costs a lot less. You can ask him to do something and he’ll do it. You can ask him to teach multiplication tables to your kids, wake you up in the morning, monitor your home in the day, or teach you new things.

“I have a child, and I think of Nao as providing a buffer memory for myself,” Bokobza said. “I travel a lot, and he may remind me of what my child is doing while I’m far away.”

His body has 25 degrees of freedom, thanks to a bunch of electric motors and actuators. He has two cameras that capture video at 30 frames per second, four directional microphones, a sonar range finder, two infrared emitters and receivers, an inertial board, nine tactile sensors, and eight pressure sensors. Nao runs on an Intel Atom central processing unit (CPU) that operates at 1.6 gigahertz. There’s a second CPU in the torso. It has a 48.6-watt-hour battery that provides Nao with about 90 minutes to two hours of operation.

His motion module uses inverse kinematics, which means he has good joint control, balance, and task priority. He has Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity.

SoftBank acquired 78 percent of Aldebaran in 2012, and the company itself was founded in 2005. Over time, robots like Nao may be a fixture in every home, Bokobza said. There’s competition out there from the likes of Honda’s Asimo robot and Intel’s Jimmy the 21st Century Robot.

“It’s becoming more and more accessible for the home,” she said.

http://1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nao-1.jpg
Above: Nao
Image Credit: Alderbaran Robotic


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odn9C8UzJkU
That's great that Nao can do Tai Chi, but I really want a robot that can open the fridge and get me a beer. Now that would be awesome. :D

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4clWD62hV0

[GeneChing]

More than a thousand dancing robots break world record (https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2017/08/18/More-than-a-thousand-dancing-robots-break-world-record/4251503069547/?spt=rrs&or=4)
By Daniel Uria | Aug. 18, 2017 at 12:03 PM

https://cdnph.upi.com/svc/sv/i/4251503069547/2017/1/15030713477059/More-than-a-thousand-dancing-robots-break-world-record.jpg
About 1,069 dancing robots completed a synchronized dancing routine to claim a Guinness World Record for "Most robots dancing simultaneously."Screen capture/Guinness World Record/YouTube

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- More than a thousand robots performed a choreographed dance routine together to set a world record in China.

The 1,069 "Dobi" robots, produced by WL Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd, completed the synchronized performance in Guangzhou, Guangdong, to claim the Guinness World Record for "Most robots dancing simultaneously."

A few of the robots accidentally toppled over during the performance and were deducted from the final total.

All of the robots were programmed via a singular group control system and are able to talk, do Tai Chi and perform several other actions in addition to dancing.

WL Intelligent Technology topped the record of 1,007 dancing robots, previously held by fellow Chinese company Ever Win Company & Ltd.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouZb_Yb6HPg


Which Colossal Death Robot are you? (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?18982-Which-Colossal-Death-Robot-are-you) The Tai Chi Robot (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40606-Tai-Chi-Robot)s that set Martial Arts World Record (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52601-Martial-Arts-World-Records-and-Stunts)?

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w61kg9KlOHc

Martial arts robots (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?26024-martial-arts-robot) will start with Tai Chi (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40606-Tai-Chi-Robot)...I'll get worried when they move on to hard styles.

[GeneChing]

There's a vid behind the link.


Meet the robot that knows KUNG FU: Fascinating video shows super flexible automated arm practising Tai Chi moves with a martial arts master (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5000452/Meet-robot-knows-kung-fu.html)
The newly unveiled robotic arm has seven joints and is extremely nimble
In a commercial, it showcases impressive Tai Chi moves with a human expert
It's produced by a major Chinese robot manufacturer for assembly lines
By Tracy You For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 08:10 EDT, 20 October 2017 | UPDATED: 08:46 EDT, 20 October 2017

In a country with a passion for robots and Kung Fu, it's only a matter of time when machines would be taught how to do martial arts.

But before that, a commercial from a Chinese robot manufacturer has shown us what a human-versus-machine Tai Chi duel could look like.

An incredible video has emerged which shows a robotic arm practising a series of Tai Chi moves with a master.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/10/20/12/4583E66C00000578-5000452-image-m-4_1508500072251.jpg
Wax on, was off: A Kung Fu master practises Tai Chi with a robotic arm in a new commercial

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/10/20/12/4583E65E00000578-5000452-image-m-6_1508500097829.jpg
Everybody is Kung Fu fighting! The robotic arm has seven axes and is extremely nimble

The video is an advertisement released by Siasun, a Chinese industrial robot manufacturer.

The four-minute-long commercial features Siasun's two new models. Each of them practises its skills with the master one on one.

Both models have seven axes, which apparently allow them to lift up, bend down and turn around at ease.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/10/20/12/4583E66600000578-5000452-image-m-10_1508500676484.jpghttp://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/10/20/13/45844F7400000578-5000452-image-m-17_1508500808853.jpg
Impressive: Produced by Chinese industrial robot manufacturer Siasun, the robotic arm is not likely to do Kung Fu in real life. It's been designed to work on assembly lines with limited space

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/10/20/13/4583E66200000578-5000452-The_robot_model_has_seven_axes_which_apparently_al low_them_to_li-a-2_1508503558265.jpg
The robot model has seven axes, which apparently allow them to lift, bend and turn easily

The two robotic arms demonstrate classic Tai Chi moves with the master, dressed in traditional Chinese clothing.

The seven-axis robots are designed to work on assembly lines, according to Siasun, one of China's largest industrial robots suppliers based in Shanghai.

The company claimed that these robotic arms were designed especially for factories with limited space and high accuracy requirements.

It's unlikely that these robots would be used to do Kung Fu in real life, but Siasun said they could be masters in precision assembly, product packaging, polishing, loading and unloading.

Apparently, the Siasun robots are not the only machines that could pull off Kung Fu stunts.

Last month, over 1,000 robots and 10 martial artists performed Kung Fu choreography in unison in north-east China's Harbin city.

The spectacular performance took place during a national robot competition, according to CGTN.


JOBS THAT PAY LESS THAN $20 ARE AT RISK OF ROBOT TAKEOVER
In a recent McKinsey report, researchers analysed more than 2,000 work activities for over 800 occupations, looking at the amount of time spent on particular activities, and the feasibility of automating these tasks.

For jobs which involve performing predictable physical activities, the researchers say the feasibility of automation is roughly 78 percent.

The findings include:

59 percent of manufacturing activities could be automated. Within this field, the researchers say 90 percent of the activities of welders, cutters, solderers and brazers could be done by a robot.
73 percent of activities in food service and accommodations could be automated
53 percent of retail work could be automated; 47 percent of the salesperson’s job could be automated, while 86 percent of bookkeepers, accountant and auditing clerks has this potential

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/29/21/3EC0165500000578-4361808-image-a-22_1490817964761.jpg

For jobs which involve performing predictable physical activities, the researchers say the feasibility of automation is roughly 78 percent, but this is not the only factor to be considered when determining which jobs could soon be taken over by robots

They also detailed the activities with low potential for automation:

Education
Healthcare, especially those which require expertise and direct contact with patients, like dental hygienist
'Knowledge work,' including management jobs

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPI0-14kEZI

[GeneChing]

Tabletop battle robot does tai chi, karate (https://www.zdnet.com/article/tabletop-battle-robot-does-tai-chi-karate/)
Is it a video game come to life, an educational toy, or a developer's platform? Yup, says the company behind it.

By Greg Nichols for Robotics | July 17, 2018 -- 09:13 GMT (02:13 PDT) | Topic: Robotics


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=43&v=_05X_WG2tcw

What is it about humans? We see a robot, we immediately want to know how it'll fare in battle against another robot.

Playing right into that hardwired need is a new home robot from Pilot Labs called the Moorebot Zeus Battle Robot, which is now available on Amazon.

Living up to its name, the platform was designed to fight other robots. Given what's under the hood, this real-life avatar seems more than capable of fulfilling that primary objective.

https://zdnet2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2018/07/16/d00223c3-d0de-4dbe-8119-9bebedd24cb2/resize/370xauto/77040fc9e2fb039c20f306aa3e6ad9b2/zeus-battle-robot.jpg

"This might be most competitive fighter and robot athlete in the world," says Jun Ye, CEO of Shenzhen-based Pilot Labs. "From Boxing to Kung Fu to Karate to Robot Olympics."

At 14 inches and nearly five pounds, this thing is hefty. The humanoid is actuated by 22 metal-geared servo motors, each rated with a 25Kg punch force. The little fighter actually delivers punches at a speed of 150m/sec, meaning it's only a matter of time before someone accidentally gets their teeth knocked in messing around with one of these.

Although the robot is designed to fight other robots -- and in particular other Zeus robots, since consumers don't have many off-the-shelf battle bot options -- Pilot Labs is also marketing Zeus to hobbyists and developers who might use the robot as a platform for further customization.

Because you assemble the robot at home, Zeus is also being marketed as an educational toy that can teach kids (the big kind as well as the little ones) about robotics.

With that fragmented marketing strategy, Pilot Labs could be in for a bumpy launch. The educational robot market is already saturated, with brands like Lego and Wonder Workshop out to solid leads.

The market for battle robots, meanwhile, isn't well-developed; the hobby remains niche worldwide.

As a remote controlled humanoid and not an autonomous sensor platform, it's unclear how useful Zeus would be to robotics developers. Considering it costs $1600, vying for customers in any of these three challenging markets would be tough, but tackling all three at the same time seems unwise.

Still, for unbridled cool factor I'm guessing this robot will gain some early adopters, and it could become an underground hit via YouTube, which might spur sales.

Zeus operates for about 50 minutes on a charge. It comes preprogrammed with a number of fighting moves, and it can also be customized with an included graphical programming tool.


THREADS:
Tai Chi Robot (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40606-Tai-Chi-Robot)
martial arts robot (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?26024-martial-arts-robot)

[GeneChing]

September 28, 2022 by Michelle Cometa
Faculty researchers develop humanoid robotic system to teach Tai Chi (https://www.rit.edu/news/faculty-researchers-develop-humanoid-robotic-system-teach-tai-chi)

System helps keep older adults active and improve cognitive function

https://cdn.rit.edu/images/news/2022-09/Zheng_Robot.jpg
Assistant Professor Zhi Zheng demonstrates some of the coordinated moves of her NAO Robot, programmed to teach tai chi to older adults. The work is part of a larger research project to assess how integrating technology can impact cognitive functions.
Zhi Zheng’s robot is skilled at Tai Chi, and her research team hopes it will soon lead a class of older adults at a local community center. Her robot is more than a cute companion. It can help improve cognitive function and provide insights about how people interact with robots in various settings.

Zheng, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, developed a sophisticated humanoid robot as part of her assistive technology research.

With expertise in developing robotics and virtual reality systems, Zheng’s work explores human-machine intelligence. She is part of a larger RIT cross-disciplinary team using artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to design assistive technologies that can impact mental health care.

“My major research direction is for individuals with developmental disorders. Many core technologies are transferable to other populations such as older adults with mild cognitive impairment,” said Zheng, who leads the Intelligent Interaction Research Lab. The lab is focused on several funded technology-mediated initiatives including healthcare for older adults with multiple chronic conditions and interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The Tai Chi leader is an NAO Robot, and although only about 2 feet tall, it is a highly sophisticated system that can be programmed with specific functions and tasks.

“We don’t have to build our own robot hardware because there are good commercial platforms available. How it behaves solely depends on how we design the control programs. The central part of our research is how we control the robots to do the cognitive and physical instruction properly,” Zheng said. “The robot does not really know how to behave coming out of the box. We teach it how to function.”

Teaching it Tai Chi was one of those functions.

A popular mind-body exercise, Tai Chi consists of choreographed motions, meditation, and proper breathing. Different movements require the practitioner to rely on many cognitive functions such as working memory and visual-spatial processing to memorize the patterned gestures. Movement stimulates blood flow through the brain, and for older adults, this has been shown to be beneficial to longevity, memory, and learning.

Using robots as facilitators is a growing research field, and Zheng has seen movement from lab-based work to community-based field studies.

“There is a big difference. Everything in the lab is controlled, and people can be nervous and cautious. That does not really reflect their natural reactions,” she said. “Now the field is trying to understand and study what if we move the technology out of the engineering building to a community center, for example? People are relaxed, and their reactions will be more natural using new technology. Technology has to be easily controlled by a non-expert—that relates to our interface design. We want our robot to be operated by a leader or a social worker at the community center—because technology is designed to serve people. It has to fit in the community.”

Some onsite work was paused for a short time during the pandemic, but has since resumed with Zheng leading a research team that includes Victor Perotti, professor in Saunders College of Business; Yong Tai Wang, dean of the College of Health Sciences and Technology; Peter Bajorski, professor of statistics in the College of Science. (Under review is a Department of Health and Human Services grant proposal for the work that will also include colleagues from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.)

Wang brings more than 20 years of experience instructing and practicing Tai Chi, and Bajorski has worked previously with Zheng on a separate Department of Health and Human Services grant to measure aspects of ASD. Coupled with research in the area of the Theory of Mind—the study of human-robot interactions and the effectiveness of using robots as research facilitators—the team combines psychology and inter-personal communications with applications built on human-centered artificial intelligence, one of RIT’s key research areas.

“I think of myself as a user and builder of artificial intelligence because I design my own system frameworks, my own algorithms. Those are more elemental in the AI spectrum,” she said. “And I also look to other people’s work to add to my research. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants!”
Well framed pic for a 2 ft tall bot.

[GeneChing]

Read Tai Chi Robots (http://unescoicm.org/eng/notice/qna.php?ptype=view&idx=8628&page=1&code=qna_eng) ~ my March 2023 feature for UNESCO ICM that I forgot to post this here.

http://unescoicm.org/adm/data/bbs/qna_eng/M2303150629423_1.jpeg

Tai-Chi-Robot (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40606-Tai-Chi-Robot)
UNESCO-International-Centre-of-Martial-Arts-for-Youth-Development-and-Engagement (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72011-UNESCO-International-Centre-of-Martial-Arts-for-Youth-Development-and-Engagement)