Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Sunday, October 11, 2020
Car design is about to change forever. This video encapsulates how
When you really think about it, all this is , is a robot chassis. Motors, battery power drive chain. charging,
and a small step to add a robot control layer like ROS.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90562654/car-design-is-about-to-change-forever-this-video-encapsulates-how
Friday, October 9, 2020
Thursday, October 8, 2020
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
OpenBot
OpenBot
https://github.com/intel-isl/OpenBot CODE
INTEL RESEARCHERS DEVELOP $50 3D PRINTED “OPENBOT” TO ADVANCE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF ROBOTICS
Researchers from Intel Labs have developed an open-source 3D printed smart robot that it is possible to build for less than $50.
Once combined with a modern smartphone, the additive bot is able to navigate autonomously, and its real-time sensing capabilities enable it to conduct recon tasks such as following people. The PLA-based Openbot has also been designed to be easy to build too, and its STL files have been made freely available online. By making their design public, the researchers hope that creators will tinker with and improve their robot to continue developing new applications for it in the future.
“Current robots are either expensive or make significant compromises on sensory richness, computational power, and communication capabilities,” stated the researchers in their paper. “We propose to leverage smartphones to equip robots with extensive sensor suites and access to a thriving software ecosystem, in a small electric vehicle that costs $50.”
The herculean cost of additive smart robotics
The industrial applications of smart robots have created a potentially lucrative market for businesses such as Franka Emika and Clearpath. The advanced tech firms produce highly-sophisticated legged-robots and bionic arms, but these are often well out of reach for academic institutions, costing north of $10,000 each.
Previously developed low-cost four-wheeled alternatives can broadly be sorted into three classes: tiny robots, swarm robotics and larger vehicles based on RC trucks. Swarm bots are more economical to make, but they often feature very limited sensing capabilities. By contrast, larger custom-made creations have more abundant sensors, but it has proved difficult to develop autonomous navigation for them.
“ROBOTS ARE EXPENSIVE. LEGGED ROBOTS AND INDUSTRIAL MANIPULATORS COST AS MUCH AS LUXURY CARS, AND THE CHEAPEST ROBOTS FROM FRANKA EMIKA OR CLEARPATH COST AT LEAST $10K.”
Many modern smartphones come equipped with mobile AI processors, and their ability to run complex AI models in real-time has led researchers to experiment with a smart robotic cross-over. Similar projects to that of the Intel team have previously been launched on Kickstarter, with the Botiful telepresence device and the Romo smartphone-powered drone finding success on the platform.
The Wheelphone design, which was popularized on the open-source software site Github a few years ago, probably represents the most similar layout to that developed by the Intel researchers. Unfortunately the technical limitations of the Wheelphone limited its top speed, and its high cost of around $250 caused it to be shelved, with the last update released around two years ago.
The Intel duo’s 3D printed Openbot
Inspired by projects such as Google’s Cardboard VR device, the researchers hypothesized that a smartphone could play a similar role in robotics. Using off-the-shelf parts to create a cheap physical enclosure, while allowing the mobile to act as its ‘brain,’ has plenty of benefits. In addition to being more cost-effective, the vibrant ecosystem of existing mobile apps offer the potential for numerous applications to be developed using the same hardware.
Using only an Ultimaker S5 system, the team produced the chassis, consisting of a bottom plate which is fastened to a top cover with six screws. The top plate itself features a universal smartphone mount with an adjustable spring to make it compatible with different phones, and an opening for attaching a USB-powered Arduino microcontroller.
The Openbot was programmed using a two-piece custom-designed software stack. In order to provide an interface for the operator to collect datasets and control the bot’s workload, the Intel team developed an android-based app. This was supplemented by an Arduino nano microcontroller, which controls low-level functions, and acts as a bridge between the vehicle body and the smartphone.
Taking a total of 23 hours to build, the smart robot proved capable of speeds of up to 150cm per second, making it markedly quicker than its predecessors. Aiming to assess the sensing capabilities of their Openbot, the researchers tested to see if it could follow someone independently, or even achieve autonomous navigation. Using mid-range smartphones, testing showed that the bot was able to track people at speeds of 10 fps or higher.
Although performance did prove to be device-dependent, even the cheapest phones were able to follow people for around 50 percent of the time. The researchers also trained a “driving policy” for use on smartphones, which was capable of navigating corridors and turning at intersections. Overall, the bot proved consistently able to deal with previously unseen environments, including novel objects, and dynamic obstacles such as people.
Concluding their tests to be a success, the Intel duo expressed optimism that their creation would make robotics more scalable and accessible than was previously thought possible.
“We have developed a combination of hardware and software that turns smartphones into robots,” they concluded in their paper. “We hope our work will open new opportunities for education and large-scale learning via thousands of low-cost robots deployed around the world.”
For those interested in building the Intel research team’s Openbot themselves, the files can be accessed via Github here.
Previous 3D printed smart robots
A number of other research groups have leveraged 3D printing to fabricate smart robotics, and these additive creations have taken on a vast array of shapes, sizes and functions in recent years.
In July 2020, engineering company Scheurer Swiss GmbH partnered with a group of ETH Zürich students to develop their “Rowesys” 3D printed automated robotic weeding system. The compact weed killing bot is designed to be a sustainable alternative to using herbicides in agricultural farming.
Researchers from The NYU Tandon School of Engineering and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) have built an open-source 3D printed robotic dog. The ‘Solo 8’ is designed to be low-cost and scalable, allowing those with a limited budget to construct and build an additive pet of their own.
Robotics engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have used 3D printed parts to create an energy-efficient ‘Slothbot.’ The robotic mammal is currently being used at the Atlanta Botanical Garden to closely monitor the animals, plants, and environment there.
The researchers’ findings are detailed in their paper titled “OpenBot: Turning Smartphones into Robots,” which was co-authored by Matthias Muller and Vladlen Koltun.
Nominations for the 2020 3D Printing Industry Awards are still open, let us know who is leading the industry now.
The fourth edition of the 3D Printing Industry Awards Trophy Design Competition is now underway. Enter your design for the chance to win a CraftBot Flow 3D printer.
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Are you looking for a job in the additive manufacturing industry? Visit 3D Printing Jobs for a selection of roles in the industry.
Featured image shows a diagram of the Intel team’s 3D printed Openbot. Image via Intel.
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http://vladlen.info/papers/openbot.pdf
OpenBot: Turning Smartphones into Robots Matthias Muller ¨ Intel Labs Vladlen Koltun Intel Labs Abstract: Current robots are either expensive or make significant compromises on sensory richness, computational power, and communication capabilities. We propose to leverage smartphones to equip robots with extensive sensor suites, powerful computational abilities, state-of-the-art communication channels, and access to a thriving software ecosystem. We design a small electric vehicle that costs $50 and serves as a robot body for standard Android smartphones. We develop a software stack that allows smartphones to use this body for mobile operation and demonstrate that the system is sufficiently powerful to support advanced robotics workloads such as person following and real-time autonomous navigation in unstructured environments. Controlled experiments demonstrate that the presented approach is robust across different smartphones and robot bodies.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Home Robotics and Telepresence Market.
Home Robotics and Telepresence Market.
John L. Sokol 10/1/2020
Household Robotics:
Vacuum cleaners:
iRobot (US), Neato (US), Samsung (South Korea), LG (South Korea), Ecovacs (China), Dyson (UK), bObsweep (Canada), Bissell (US), Alfred Kärcher (Germany), iLife Innovation (China), Miele (Germany), Monoprice (US) and small toy kits.
Lawn Mower :
Robomow (Israel), Husqvarna (Sweden), John Deere (US),
Pool cleaners :
Maytronics (Israel), Hayward Industries (US),
LEGO (Denmark), one of the World's most popular toys.
ANKI - Now : Digital Dream Labs
https://www.digitaldreamlabs.com/
Formerly: Anki (US) Hottest selling Toy, now out of business.
Vector, Palm Size robot $250 , can do crute telepresence. (remo.tv)
Cosmo Palm Size robot $180?
Jibo $900
Social Robot
Went out of business in 2019, might be coming back.
Kubi $600.00
Pan and Tilt on Telepresence.
BSH Hausgeräte (Germany), -> Now Bosch?
https://www.bsh-group.com/newsroom/press-releases/mykie-a-personal-assistant-for-the-kitchen
Mykie
world of personal assistants. He responds to the user's voice by means of voice recognition. Mykie listens to the user, answers their questions and offers support for a host of everyday topics
Jibo knock off? Never commercialized?
Moxie: $1,500 + $60 a month
https://embodied.com/products/moxie-reservation Not shipping as of 2020Q3
NOT MOBILE
looks like something ripped out of a Pixar movie. Moxie, an adorable educational robot
Pillo (US),
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pillo-your-personal-home-health-robot#/
$499. But even if you can swallow that cost, you also have to pay a $39.99 monthly subscription
Home Health And Medication Solutions, Automated pill dispenser.
Blue Frog Robotics (France)
Buddy $1700 and $2000.
In September of 2015, Buddy the social home robot closed its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign more than 600 percent over its funding goal
patrol autonomously and secure your home
Telepresence
mathematics applications
interactive stories for children
IoT/smart home management
face recognition
alarm clock, reminder
message/photo sharing
Music
hands free call
people following
games like hide and seek (and more)
create their own apps “BuddyLab” application.
10. What makes you confident that Buddy will be successful when Jibo, Kuri, and other social robots have not?
Consumer robotics is a new market. Some people think it is a tough one. But we, at Blue Frog Robotics, believe it is a path of learning, understanding, and finding new ways to serve consumers. Here are the five key factors that will make Buddy successful.
1) A market-fit robot
Blue Frog Robotics is a consumer-centric company. We know that a successful business model and a compelling fit to market Buddy must come up from solving consumers’ frustrations and problems in a way that’s new and exciting. We started from there.
By leveraged existing research and syndicated consumer data sets to understand our customers’ needs and aspirations, we get that creating a robot is not about the best tech innovation and features, but always about how well technology becomes a service to one’s basic human needs and assets: convenience, connection, security, fun, self-improvement, and time. To answer to these consumers’ needs and wants, we designed an all-in-one robot with four vital capabilities: intelligence, emotionality, mobility, and customization.
With his multi-purpose brain, he addresses a broad range of needs in modern-day life, from securing homes to carrying out his owners’ daily activities, from helping people with disabilities to educating children, from entertaining to just becoming a robot friend.
Buddy is a disruptive innovative robot that is about to transform the way we live, learn, utilize information, play, and even care about our health.
2) Endless possibilities
One of the major advantages of Buddy is his adaptability. Beyond to be adorable, playful, talkative, and to accompany anyone in their daily life at home whether you are comfortable with technology or not, he offers via his platform applications to engage his owners in a wide range of activities. From fitness to cooking, from health monitoring to education, from games to meditation, the combination of intelligence, sensors, mobility, multi-touch panel opens endless possibilities for consumers and organizations to adapt their Buddy to their own needs.
3) An affordable price
Buddy will be the first robot combining smart, social, and mobile capabilities and a developed platform with a personality to enter the U.S. market at affordable price.
Our competitors are social or assistant robots but rarely both. Competitors differentiate themselves by features: mobile, non-mobile; by shapes: humanoid or not; by skills: social versus smart; targeting a specific domain like entertainment, retail assistant, eldercare, or education for children; and by price. Regarding our six competitors: Moorebot, Elli-Q, and Olly are not mobile; Lynx and Nao are in toy category; Pepper is above $10k targeting B2B market; and finally, Temi can’t be considered an emotional robot.
Buddy remains highly differentiated as an all-in-one, best of his class experience, covering the needs for social interactions and assistance of his owners at each stage of their life at an affordable price.
The price range of Buddy will be between US $1700 and $2000.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/interview-blue-frog-robotics-ceo
ASUSTek (Taiwan) - ASUS Zenbo ($600 original estimated price) 2016
$3,500 USD plus $100 shipping http://www.itszenbo.com/
Zenbo Junior with Amazon Alexa 18.5x18.5x31.5 cm (about a foot tall)
Zenbo Junior is the first ASUS robot with built-in Amazon Alexa. Simply enable the Zenbo skill in the Alexa app to ask Zenbo Junior to perform basic movements – turn left, turn right or spin around. Enjoy your favorite Alexa skills as well with Zenbo Junior.
Misty Robotics: $2000 to $3300
https://www.mistyrobotics.com/
manufacturing partner (Jetta) from our Sphero days
Temi (US), $4000
https://www.robotemi.com/
What is temi - World's first cost-effective robot that delivers groundbreaking engagement solutions for your business or personal needs utilizing temi's proprietary autonomous navigation and AI technologies
** HAS APP STORE **
Delivery bot, retail, kiosk, guard are most popular. And ZOOM…
Loomo Segway/Ninebot (China) $1800
Self-Balancing Transporter, Telepresence , AI, Voice Assistance
22 miles in one charge.
Telepresence:
Suitable Technologies
Beam : Pro $15000, plus $2150
https://www.blue-ocean-robotics.com/news/blueoceanrobotics-acquires-beam-en
The Danish “Robot Venture Factory,” Blue Ocean Robotics, has just acquired all assets and rights associated with Beam® from Suitable Technologies, Inc. in Silicon Valley. August 2019
https://app.suitabletech.com/installers/stable
API (Win, Linux, Mac, Mobile) just remote control.
Mantaro Networks
https://www.mantaro.com/services/robotics-development.htm
$500 ? Not easy to purchase,they want to speak to each customer… the customer must provide a tablet.
https://telepresencerobots.com/robots/mantarobot-teleme
VGO Communications
Not easy to purchase,they want to speak to each customer…
$6000 to $7000 and $1200 annual service contract - Target is Healthcare.
4ft tall. (1200 mm)
Intouch Technologies
$80,000.00 + integrated cloud-based service, with a per-unit price of somewhere between $4,000 and $6,000 per month.
InTouch Vici Telehealth cart ~ $30,000
(just a push cart with a video conference system on it)
robotic video unit because of PTZ Camera.
Vici Telehealth Cart, and an expanded family of Viewpoint™ products including iOS Viewpoint software and tablets
Qihan Technology
https://sanbotrobotics.wordpress.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanbot_(robot)
http://www.sanbotrobot.com/ (down at this time)
http://en.sanbot.com/product/sanbot-elf/design
Sanbot (Nano $2800 2'7") , (S1 $5400) (ELF ~$12000 not sold in US)
About Sanbot
Sanbot, affiliating to Qihan Technology Co. Ltd., is an open API cloud-enabled robotics and AI for retail, education, healthcare, hospitality, security, and other customer-oriented industries to deliver a smarter and more personalized service. Using Qihan’s “Robotics-as-a-Service” model, Sanbot is taking robotics technology into the mainstream. Sanbot’s open API, which enables developers to build Android applications that utilize Sanbot’s tremendous AI and learning capabilities, means businesses can deliver better services. Better services increase customer loyalty and satisfaction.
INTERNAL HARDWARE
Beyond Sanbot King Kong’s exterior enhancements is a strong R&D foundation and upgraded internal technology. Wielding six built-in microphones in its head, Sanbot King Kong has a strong speech recognition program that separates background noise in busy and loud areas. Stemming from QIHAN’s partnership with IBM Watson and Nuance, Sanbot King Kong is also equipped with innovative speech recognition technology and can identify and communicate in 26 different languages.
Even more notable in the field of commercial service robots, QIHAN has created the robotics industry’s first technology using multiple 3D cameras vSLAM (vision simultaneous localization and mapping). This breakthrough technology combines infrared, ultrasound and visual obstacle avoidance technology to help Sanbot King Kong efficiently map out unfamiliar environments and even avoid glass doors and falling objects.
Amy Robotics,
http://www.amyrobotics.com
Hangzhou Amy Robotics Co. Ltd
USD $7500 to $15000
6 Microphone, 1080p 5M night vision,
Product Highlights
Amy Robotics AMY-A2 Telepresence Robot
Features a cloud-based Intelligent problem solver robot
Provides human-machine interaction
Has Multiple identification mode
Is based on high-speed vision SLAM technology
Anybots,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anybots
QB $18000 Originally 2012, current price??
120 Units were produced and sold.
Video conferencing on wheels
Can't make it? Send a robot. Unlike traditional conferencing systems, QB is a telepresence robot that let's you wander around the office, a warehouse or home just as if you were there, allowing you to engage spontaneous conversations with your colleges, friends or family, with just a browser.
"Bot-in" and drive to that important meeting or be that special groomsman at your best pal's wedding!
Anybots streamlines your remote telepresence experience with WebRTC integration! All you need is a recent Chrome browser installed, no additional software, no plugin.
How it works
Virtual Presence utilizes the Internet to transmit audio & video between the pilot and his QB avatar.
The control commands are sent via a secured WebSocket. With a good connection, the latency of the video is short enough that the pilot can react with steering controls in real-time, even half way around the globe.
The QB avatar has a robust balancing platform and can operate at human height. So your interactions are natural and just as if you were standing there face-to-face.
Equipped with a LiDAR QB assists the pilot steering around obstacles while the new wheels provide stable & quieter rides.
QB has 2 high-definition cameras. The "conferencing" camera to capture the view straight ahead while talking to an encounter and the fisheye "drive" camera for a wide view while moving around, even when you are not in conferencing mood or just using Anybots' balancing unit for your own project. Read more...
A microphone captures what is being said to you while a speaker reproduces your voice on your avatar. QB has a larger LCD screen to display your live video stream or loop a video of your choice to promote a product or an event while driving QB around.
To drive QB, you use the arrow keys on your keyboard. forward reverse turn left turn right.
While it was first created for conferencing, you can adapt any project onto QB.
Wheels for the Internet of Things
Try Anybots' headless drive for your connected device! Get Anybots stand-alone base unit and build your project on top of it's sturdy self-balancing system and assisted steering. You can directly connect & drive QB within your NAT using its NEW web interface and build you own custom web app for your smartphone or laptop using our drive API.
Give your Arduino or Raspberry Pi a ride while collecting data in realtime, but it can be anything like a smartphone or a tablet.
QB self-balancing system will bear your pay-load while steering and driving through exiguous spaces and onto rough surfaces. Its integrated LiDAR prevents hard collisions and assists you driving around obstacles. Although QB is not weather proof, you can still take it for a ride outdoors on a sunny day using a 4G connection.
Read more about how QB is been used.
Meaningful applications
While Personal Users can use QB to help keep an eye on things when they cannot be there in person, Business clients can employ QB to strengthen in-office collaboration by expanding their employees’ telecommuting options.
Health & Education
Users in education and healthcare can keep QB in-facility to bring in specialists and guests. QB provides increased quality of life for those with disabilities (read Mike Phillips -spinal muscular atrophy- user story) or patients that need to momentarily stay physically away from their social environment (read Grady, age 9 -post bone marrow transplant- user story).
QB allows them to stay in touch with friends and family avoiding total social isolation that can result in a feeling of loneliness and depression.
Endless possibilities...
Endless array of flexible use models & solutions for businesses
One-to-One
A common use case for QB avatars is one avatar dedicated to one user. Many times, this is use case is employed for remote workers, as well as business managers who travel frequently and need a presence at the main office. Personal users may use the QB avatar to keep an eye on the kids while they are at work.
One-to-Many
Visit many sites in the same day by stationing QB avatars in each of them. Be virtually present in Tokyo and then London and then Moscow in a matter of seconds!
Many-to-One
One QB avatar can be utilized by any number of users at different times. Provide support for commercial or industrial equipment, or, enable remote tours of your facility by allowing users with a variety of skills or interest to operate your QB. Personal users may place a QB avatar at an elder’s home so multiple family members can visit any time.
Many-to-Many
The Anybots Virtual Presence System enables multiple persons to monitor and use multiple QB avatars. Enhance productivity of your front office receptionist or retail sales operations by pooling labor and deploying it globally!
2007-2009 Dexter and Monty first VR teleoperation, and first walking robot.
First 2 wheel balancing (code open sourced). First single wheel balancing scooter.
2009 QA
2011 QB
2013 Q(X)
Double Robotics,
https://www.doublerobotics.com/
Double 3:
IPad on 2 balancing wheels. Breaks Ipads.(now fixed)
$4000 to $4600
SDK - IOS - https://github.com/doublerobotics/d3-sdk
NVIDIA® Jetson™ TX2-4GB System-on-Module
2 x Intel® RealSense™ D430 Stereo Vision Depth Modules
2 x 13 Megapixel 1/2.3" Camera Sensors (One wide, one zoom)
5 x Ultrasonic range finders
Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC (2.4GHz/5GHz WiFi)
Bluetooth 4.2 Low Energy
Real-time Microcontroller and IMU for Self-Balancing
2 x Coreless DC drive motors with 2048 PPR encoders
Adjustable Motorized Height Control and Deployable Kickstands
72 Watt-Hour Smart Lithium Ion Battery
9.7-inch LED-backlit multi-touch LCD screen
Superdroid Robot
http://sdrtactical.com/ RC Tanks
Padbot - Inbot Technology,
Guangzhou Inbot Technology Ltd
U2 Telepresence $1000 , P2 $1400 screen included.
T1 Telepresence $170 (just base, use your own phone)
Ohmni Labs
OHMNI ROBOT $2200 USD
4K camera w/ 13-megapixel Snapshot and Superzoom capabilities
10.1" HD IPS touchscreen
WebRTC video Conferencing.
95Wh LiFePO4 battery (6+ hrs)
Ohmni Glide Drive brushless motors w/ precision encoders
x1 Ohmni Charging Dock (100-240V compatible, 50/60Hz)
3D printed PLA manufacturing
Just over the horizon:
WorkFar (USA) Avatar Robot $30,000
https://workfar.com/index.html
Telexistence Inc. (Japan) Price $??
MODEL H
Model-T
Telexistence Inc. last month trialed using its sleek remote-controlled robot "Model-T" to restock drink shelves at a FamilyMart store in Tokyo.
The human-sized robot, which has three-pronged hands that enable it to pick up items, is remotely operated by a "pilot" using a virtual reality terminal.
A latency of only 50 milliseconds in the end-to-end video transmission between the surrogate robot's camera and the pilot's display means there is virtually no gap between the visual and physical sensations, according to a press release by the company.
Telexistence plans to deploy the robots to up to 20 branches by 2022, eventually rolling them out to all FamilyMart stores. They will be used to automate merchandise restocking, said to account for a large chunk of the workload in convenience stores, reducing the operational burden and infection risks for employees.
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AVATAREX, a telexistence system based on virtual avatars. AVATAREX provides means for connecting users that are simultaneously occupying the same space in the real world and its virtual replica. Using an indoor prototype implementation of AVATAREX and a simple collaborative game, we investigated how users experience co-presence in a telexistence system based on virtual avatars and measured the performance of AVATAREX on high-end smart glasses. Based on our findings, users wearing virtual reality gear reported a stronger sense of co-presence compared to users wearing augmented reality gear. Unexpectedly, users wearing smart glasses reported a lower sense of co-presence than users using a tablet for augmented reality experience.
Meltin MMI (Japan)
https://thebridge.jp/en/2018/10/meltin-mmi-jpy2b-funding
