Posts Tagged ‘ROS’

Android + Arduino + ROS = Cloud Robotics

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Another important announcement for the field of robotics was made at Google IO 2011 that complements the announcement for the Android Open Accessory Kit.

As shown in the video below about Cloud Robotics (this presentation is very interesting and explores somewhat involved robot programming), there is a new implementation of ROS, the popular operating system for robots, that runs directly on Android. Even PR2 was invited to the talk!

This means that any ROS compatible robot  (including Arduino-based robots) can be controlled via an Android phone, including the popular PR2. This interoperability and the power of cloud computing could provide robots, in the future, with better abilities especially when facing unexpected situations. With the power of the cloud, robots can offload complex computations and thus require less electrical power for computations. They could also learn new skills on the fly without needing to have all possible skills installed at once.

We are also happy to see that this technology is accessible to everyone through the use of Arduino and Open Hardware. RobotShop’s MyRobots.com initiative is compatible with this vision ans also aims to give robots, and robot owners, the power of the cloud though Open Hardware and Software.

Via Google IO.

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    Posted in Cloud Robotics, Conferences, Future | No Comments »

    Humanoids Controlled With the Kinect Roundup

    Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

    Since the Kinect was released, lots of robotic applications have been developed around it. One of them is the teleoperation of humanoid robots using skeletal tracking.

    The pioneer in humanoid robot control using the Kinect is Taylor Veltrop, who controlled his Veltrobot (based on the KHR family) using ROS and NITE. The video below illustrates this first attempt at humanoid control.

    More sophisticated humanoid control, which includes a balance algorithm, allows this V-Sido humanoid to stand on one foot and move its feet and body around without falling. Note in the video below how the robot is decorated to resemble a giant mech.

    A full teleoperation scheme is achieved by using a Nao. Using skeletal tracking and predefined commands, Nao is controlled in order to perform more complex tasks.  The demonstration below has been put together by H. Bener SUAY from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

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      Posted in Humanoids | 2 Comments »

      ROS Turns 3, PR2 Rolls for 7 Days, Willow Garage Goes Crazy

      Monday, December 20th, 2010

      Many new things happened at Willow Garage recently. So let’s go ahead and have a look at all the awesome news.

      ROS Turns Three

      The Robot Operating System celebrated its third anniversary. It has come a long way since its beginning and should go even further in the future. See the video below for  a quick overview of all the cool things ROS is capable of.

      PR2 Keeps Going and Going

      PR2 keeps going and going

      PR2 keeps going and going...

      As reposted by the Continuous Ops department from Willow Garage, the PR2 was set to roam free around their office. After 7 days it travelled 70 kilometres, and on the latest news, it is up to 100 km. This is intended to demonstrate and improve the robustness or PR2′s navigation capabilities. PR2 must recharge its battery whenever it runs out of power by plunging its charger into a regular plug (it has no fancy docking station). Also, it is allowed to text a human in case it got stuck, the human would then use a web interface to free the robot. So far the robot required a human twice.

      As a result of this long and awesome trip, the PR2 gained a bunch of stickers, a funky hat and a new sense of confidence.

      Four PR2 Were Sold

      Willow Garage has already shipped the shiny new robots to Samsung’s resarch center in Suwon, South Korea, the University of Washington in Seattle,  George Washington University in DC, and the CNRS Laboratory of Analysis and Architecture of Systems in Toulouse, France. After the primary eleven robots that were donated to universities, these are the first PR2s to sold and leave Willow Garage in order to enjoy a life of their own. If you are thinking about getting one, keep in mind that they cost 400 000$ each. The video below summarizes the PR2 beta program and the progress made by the PR2 in the last years.

      Via Willow Garage Blog.

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        Posted in Humanoids, Professional | No Comments »

        Tandy Trower Launches Hoaloha Robotics

        Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

        Tandy Trower, the 57 years old retired Microsoft employee and creator of the Microsoft Robotic Studio, launched a new Seattle-based start-up called Hoaloha Robotics. The main goal is to produce a unified programming environment and robotic interface (à la ROS) in order to commercialise affordable “socially assistive robots” (as they put it).

        Hoaloha Robotics Conceptual Robot Render from RoboSoft

        Hoaloha Robotics Conceptual Robot Render from RoboSoft

        Mr. Trower intends to develop elder care robots in the next five to ten years. They should sell for 5 000$ to 10 000$ and will ideally be completely independent (unlike the current domestic robots who usually need human assistance once in a while). Besides doing the usual pill-reminding and telepresence, the robots will also assist with movement, and object retrieval.

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          Posted in Domestic and Personal Robots | 1 Comment »