Servo - January 2013

BANDIT SAYS “STICK ‘EM UP”

The USC Robotics Research Lab recently posted a journal paper online, titled Using Socially Assistive Human-Robot Interaction to Motivate Physical Exercise for Older Adults. Were not sure what visions that title may conjure up, but here’s what authors Juan Fasola and Maja j. Mataric' are talking about:

"This paper focuses on the design methodology, implementation details, and user study evaluations of an SAR system that aims to motivate and engage elderly users in physical exercise, as well as social interaction to help address the physical and cognitive healthcare needs of the growing elderly population. SAR systems equipped with such motivational, social, and therapeutic capabilities have the potential to facilitate elderly individuals to live independently in their own homes, to enhance their quality of life, and to improve their overall health."

The robot — named Bandit — is a biomimetic anthropomorphic robot which (in this case) means a vaguely humanoid torso mounted on a wheeled platform. The robot attempts to engage the elderly person in a variety of games — some of which involve making arm gestures and asking the human to imitate them. The robot observes and offers advice as they attempt to repeat the exercise.

Studies of interactions with elderly volunteers seem to support the idea that the robot can succeed at motivating exercise in a way humans find enjoyable. You can learn more about the project on the UCS Interaction Lab Robot Exercise System webpage.

ON YOUR MARK II, GET SET...

Robotma.com — an online store dedicated to hobby robot kits — is now offering a new entry-level bipedal robot called ISAMARO Mark II. The first version of the robot cost a hefty 340,000 JPY (approximately $4,200 USD), but they’ve managed to cut the cost in half (to 168,000 JPY / $2,070 USD) by swapping the Kondo-brand servos used in its 19 joints.

They originally went with more powerful servos ( 19 kg/cm torque), which were replaced by those with a maximum torque of 13 kg/cm. The kit is designed for use in competitions.

ISAMARO specs include: Height: approx. 350 mm Weight: approx. 1.9 kg Degrees of freedom: 19 Actuator: KRS-4031HV ( 19 total) Optional: Wireless device Battery: Lithium-polymer Control board: RCB-4HV