Robotics

CMU Robotics Institute, Gamebot Project Team

Winter, Spring, Summer 2009

Overview

The Gamebot Project is focused on developing a social robot capable of playing games on a Mircosoft Surface Table. The current design objective, under the instruction of Professor Reid Simmons, is to have the Gamebot sit in the Cafeteria of CMU's new Gates Center and play Scrabble with interested passersby.

My Contribution

I joined the gamebot project at its inception. In the early phases of the project, I helped brainstorm ideas for the experiences, and researched various technical options for the project. As the design became clearer as I began to sketch out mechanical designs.


Design Goals

Gamebot's primary function is to play games at a Microsoft Surface Table. In order to best achieve this function, the design called for a humannoid shaped robot. For a first iteration the only mechanically actuated part of the body was the head. Limbs and motion were excluded from the design due to complexity, and because they failed to enhance the socially centered experience. Design features for the head actuation centered on mimicking human head capabilities with three degrees of freedom; nodding, shaking and tilting.

Body shell design by CMU Industrial Design student Jeremy Wolf.

Final Design

The design for the neck mechanism focused on agility. The performance on the actuation was meant to mimic movements of human heads, including speed and acceleration. To achieve this performance the weight of the head was kept to a minimum. Actuation for the nod and tilt axis were placed in the upper torso by using a combination of clevis and universal joints in conjunction with linear actuators. These linear actuators attached to the base of the head, where the skake motion actuator was attached. A small light-weight rotational motor sits in the back half of the head to simulate the placement of the spinal column. The alumimun frame of the head sits atop this rotational motor and houses an LCD (providing a face) and mounting for the fiberglass shell.


Gamebot In Action!

Generated Gamebot III: Hard to Hide from Marilyn Monrobot on Vimeo.



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Caltech's 2007 RoboCup-Rescue Team

Winter '06 - Summer '08

Overview

In 2006 I helped to form and to structure a student project team to participate in the 2007 RoboCup Rescue competition. The competition was focused on developing a robotic platform capable of entering a disaster scenario to find potential victims and assess their condition without endangering the lives of human rescuers. Mannequins were used to represent disaster victims within a simluated arena strewn with debris and a variety of other obstacles. The goal was to produce a map of the arena, locate victims and report their vital conditions based on a number of sensor readings. There were two classifications, autonomous and tele-operated modes. We competed in the tele-operated division.

My Contributions

During this year and a half project I acted as co-team leader for the mechanical design team. This role involved managing members of the mechanical team, defining a schedule for the team, and consulting and finalizing design decisions for the project.

Design Goals

The mechanical platform needed to be capable of carrying a victim and mapping sensor suite while negotiating physical obstacles. The obstacle fields consisted of 4"x4" blocks with heights ranging from 2" to 12." This proved to be the hardest design aspect to overcome.

Final Design

After a number of iterations, our final design focused on a treaded locomotion system that covered a majority of the exterior. Covering a large portion of the body in tread insured that the obstacles would not become lodged or allow the robot to get stuck.

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Caltech's 2005 entry in the DARPA Grand Challenge

Winter '05 - Summer '05

Overview

I was a member of Team Caltech for the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. As a member of the vehicle team I helped prepare the entry, Alice, for the rough conditions of desert driving. Roles included safety driving (ensure the Alice did not crash autonomously), vehicle maintenance and various logistical work. It was a great opportunity to be part of a large systems/engineering project. I was able to take part and observe the organizational methods and logistical issues involved in such an undertaking.

See Alice's crashing during the competition at 3:00 mark!


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Robotics in High School

During high school I was involved in a couple of robotics programs. For four years I participated in FIRST Robotics on East Anchorage High School's team. Using the skills I learned from that program helped me start an Inventeam based on a grant from the MIT/Lemelson Foundation. The East High Inventeam focused on developing a remote control helicopter that would aide in the prevention of avalanches and assist in victim recovery. Remote based technology could help reduce the risk for mountain patrol personnel. As student manager I helped the team create a prototype and showcase it to the MIT/Lemelson foundation.


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