MRI: Acquisition of Bipedal Robot Facility to Support Research into Improvement of Orientation and Stability of Locomotion

本项目是对具有前庭和视觉传感器的类人双足机器人进行改进，旨在创建双足机器人设施，研究使机器人以动态稳定的方式行走，从而更人性化。在连续的双足运动中（当身体可能会因不平坦的地形而倾斜、偏转或翻滚时），将目光集中在感兴趣的点上的能力是人类相当有效地执行的一种自动功能。对行走和转身过程中与头部和身体控制相关的基本感觉运动策略进行建模，有助于理解人类的基本功能。双足机器人有望在不平坦的地形上更有效地机动；然而，这样的地形极具挑战性。下一代机器人车辆将必须在需要动态稳定步态的条件下运行；因此，需要认真考虑动态稳定运动的稳定。这项工作利用凝视稳定作为动态稳定步态的控制策略，这是机器人技术中一个难以解决的问题。最近的心理学研究也支持这种策略。到目前为止，即使是最先进的有腿机器人也没有尝试将这类感官信息结合起来。这个由两名计算机科学家和一名心理学研究人员组成的团队基于对人类运动的广泛研究，假设这样做将对机器人步态的稳定性产生革命性的影响。该项目模仿了多种动物的感官能力，包括人类、鸟类、袋鼠、蛇怪等爬行动物，以及这些动物使用这种感官能力的方式，旨在改进双足机器人的步态。此外，该研究将通过三个更长的项目得到加强：-建造能够在不平坦的地形上快速行走的类人机器人，同时保持稳定并表现出类似人类的步态；-了解人类的步态；设计假肢，帮助那些由于帕金森氏症等疾病而无法恢复正常步态的人。更广泛的影响：与许多校园CS和神经病学的其他教师积极合作，鼓励有效的多学科和多实体使用仪器。这些机器人将在三节课上作为示范系统，影响到许多学生。此外，一个让少数族裔参与的早期高中数学和科学课程已经到位。OpenPINO是一个类似linux的开源用户社区的中心，还有一个鼓励传播的网站。

This project, enhancing a humanoid bipedal robot with vestibular and vision sensors, aims at creating Bipedal Robot Facility for research on making robots walk in a dynamically stable, and thus more human fashion. The ability to keep gaze concentrated on a point of interest during continuous bipedal locomotion (when the body might pitch, yaw, or roll in response to uneven terrain) is an automatic function that humans perform rather efficiently. Modeling the fundamental sensorimotor strategies associated with head and body control during walking and turning has led to understanding basic human functions. Bipedal robots are expected to maneuver more efficiently over uneven terrain; however, such terrain is extremely challenging. The next generation of robot vehicles will have to operate in conditions that require gaits that involve dynamic stability; thus, serious consideration needs to be given to dynamically stable motion stabilization. This work utilizes gaze stabilization as a control strategy for a dynamically stable gait, a difficult unsolved problem in robotics. This strategy is supported by recent psychological research. To date even the most advanced legged-robots do not attempt to combine this type of sensory information. The team consisting of two computer scientists and a psychology researcher hypothesizes, based on extensive work in human locomotion, that doing so will have a revolutionary effect on the stability of the robot gait. Mimicking the sensory capability of a wide range of animals-including humans, birds, kangaroos, reptiles like the basilisk-and the way that these animals use this sensory capacity, the project aims at improving the bipedal robot gaits. Moreover, the research will be enhanced by three longer projects:-Building humanoid robots that can walk quickly over uneven terrain while maintaining stability and performing a human-like gait;-Understanding human gait; and-Designing prostheses that can help humans who are otherwise unable to attain a normal gait due to pathologies such as Parkinson's disease.Broader Impact: Active collaboration with other faculty in CS and neurology at many campuses encourage effective multi-disciplinary and multi-entitity use of the instrumentation. Reaching many students, the robots will be used as demonstration systems in three classes. Moreover, an early High School program for participation for math and science, involving minorities, is in place. OpenPINO, a center of a linux-like open-source user community, and a Web-site encourage dissemination.