Playbot: Towards a Visually-Guided Autonomous Wheelchair for a Disabled Child
Speakers: John Tsotsos
Topic(s): Artificial Intelligence
Abstract
Current robots for the physically disabled rely
on the user’s visual system as part of a closed-loop control system, to help manually control a joystick for example.
In
some robotic aids, specialized sensors are developed to detect the motion of a
muscle, perhaps in a finger or eyebrow. To grasp an object, the user visually
guides a robot manipulator through a series of micro-activations to the target,
triggered by the joystick or the muscle sensors. Each micro-activation moves a particular
joint of a robot arm a small amount. This can be tedious, especially for children;
the user tires easily and the amount of work done is small. Playbot is designed
to replace part of this control loop. The user’s eyes are still needed to
determine the goal of a manipulation and to communicate with the robot. But the
robot’s visual system then takes its place in the closed-loop control of the
robot to perform the task. The user is thus spared the frustration, tedium and
effort of performing these tasks. Imagine the following. A child is seated in a
mobile, robotic wheelchair, this robot
possessing a robotic arm with manipulator, camera systems, and a communication
panel. The child would be able to point to an picture of a toy on the panel and
then point to a sequence of action pictures that he/she wishes the robot to
perform with that toy, creating a sentence describing a play sequence. The play
sequence could involve bringing toys to the child’s table for close inspection
and manipulation, for example. The robot would visually locate the toys in the
environment, plan the execution of play, and together with the child move and
carry out the actions.Progress on this project will be described including
video of the working prototype.
About this Lecture
Languages Available: English
Last Updated: 11-15-2007
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