PIRE: Humanoids - Universally Accessible Infrastructures to Advance Capabilities

Drexel University, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

0730206 Oh Humanoids are bipedal robots engineered to mimic human locomotion, balance and coordination. The Honda ASIMO and KAIST HUBO are adult-sized humanoids that have captured public interest and have given researchers insight on issues ranging from balance disorders to cognition and perception. This 5-year PIRE project teams U.S. and Korean universities (Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, Virginia Tech, Swarthmore College, Bryn Mawr Women's College, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Seoul National University and Korea University) to advance humanoids. The critical technical gap that prevents a vertical advance in robotics is the lack of universally available platforms to reproduce results and validate hypotheses. This PIRE's goal is to provide humanoid platforms to a wide audience of researchers by developing a 3-tier tool set based on KAIST's HUBO humanoid: (1) virtual-HUBO is a free and open emulator for testing AI and IT concepts; (2) mini-HUBO is a low-cost 20-inch tall version of the full-sized humanoid for implementing algorithms; and (3) online-HUBO is a tethered version of the full-size humanoid that is accessible for researchers over the internet. This 3-tier approach provides little to no barriers to entry to humanoid research. These platforms will provide U.S. scientists and engineers the opportunity to leverage U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) and information technology (IT) to advance humanoid abilities in perception, cognition and social interaction. To reach the next generation of robotic scientist and engineers, the PIRE team is working closely with the Philadelphia Please Touch Museum (PTM) to design exhibits featuring HUBO to inspire and motivate students to pursue science and engineering careers. This PIRE project engages each member's unique resources, including electro-mechanical design (Korean collaborators), virtual-HUBO (Bryn Mawr), online-HUBO and co-op program (Drexel), mini-HUBO (Virginia Tech), advanced locomotion (UPenn) and human-robot interaction (Swarthmore). The 6-month co-op cycles (twice per year) at KAIST provide 20 U.S. undergraduates with an international research experience to cultivate skills and appreciation for effective global teaming and research. Shorter but more frequent visits by graduate students and faculty serve similarly functions but also ensure research goals and objectives are met. Lastly, Drexel's School of Education and Senior Personnel assess student performance, global teaming, and engineering skill acquisition. This PIRE is supported by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and the Robust Intelligence (RI) Cluster of the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) found within the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).