FIGURE 11. The RP-VITA from In Touch and iRobot.
FIGURE 10. Toyota HSR's head.
FIGURE 12.
iRobot AVA.
78 SERVO 02.2013
opening and closing curtains or
windows, or just fetching
something that the person
needs but cannot get on their
own. This robot is controlled via
a tablet computer.
The unique part of the HSR
that sets it apart from most
home (and telepresence) robots
is the articulated arm and
telescopic body. The arm and
two-fingered gripper can reach
all the way to the floor — an
important feature for a bedridden person. The telescopic
body shown in Figure 9 can
extend the robot’s height from
2. 7 feet to 4. 3 feet, and allow
the 70 pound robot to
manipulate objects up to a
weight of 2. 6 pounds. Its arm
extends up to 2-1/2 feet. When
the arm is not in use, it can fold
into the robot’s 14-1/2 inch
diameter body.
Figure 10 shows a close-up
view of the HSR’s head, add-on
tablet computer with built-in
camera, separate cameras, and
pattern recognition sensor.
(Somehow, I feel that for the
price of the final robot design,
a built-in LCD display would be
better than a tablet attached to
the top of the robot.) The HSR
has been undergoing extensive testing
in cooperation with the Yokohama
Rehabilitation Center since 2011, and
actual patients have given valuable
feedback.
InTouch Health and
iRobot Debut RP-VITA
As I mentioned earlier, In Touch
Health and iRobot have now joined
forces to produce a remote presence
robot (RP-VITA seen in Figure 11).
Though this may seem like a bit of a
setback from Toyota’s HSR with a
working arm, the RP-VITA is really
more than just a telepresence robot.
iRobot has already developed a
hospital/corporate quality telepresence
robot with the AVA robot shown in
Figure 12.
The AVA is an autonomous
development platform for commercial
or personal robot projects. It features
autonomous navigation and a sensor
array consisting of laser, sonar, and
2D/3D imaging sensors. The ‘head’
can utilize standard LCD displays,
tablets, or iPad-type display devices.
Connectivity consists of Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, RF, and IR. Interfacing can
be via touch screen, voice, gestures,
and “person” following capabilities.
The AVA utilizes an omni-directional
drive for precise positioning and also
