IRES: US-Korea Collaborative Software- and Hardware-Design of Humanoids for Real-World tasks in Human-Centered Environments

IRES：美韩协作软件和硬件设计人形机器人，用于以人为中心的环境中的实际任务

• 批准号: 1261170
• 负责人: Paul Oh
• 金额: $ 25万
• 依托单位: Drexel University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-01 至 2014-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1261170&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: IRES; US; Korea; Collaborative; Software

The Fukushima nuclear disaster was an awakening moment for robotics. Despite years of research and a wide range of robots, performing tasks like turning valves and attaching hoses, could not be done. If such tasks were executed in the earliest stages of the accident, much of the aftermath could have been averted. The fact that radiation levels were too high, forced rescue workers to wait and the disaster grew. Power plants and industrial sites are human-centered environments that are often characterized by doors, hatches, stairs and ladders that need to be entered or climbed. Additionally such environments feature valves, hoses and switches that need to be manipulated and connected. Robots however are not mature enough to efficiently function and effectively operate in such environments. This 3-year IRES project partners American and Korean roboticists who respectively have expertise in the software and hardware design of humanoids. The objective is to collaboratively design humanoids to operate in human-centered environments. This is both important and urgent, addressing both national and international needs. Such service and mitigation by robots demands the coupled development of software and hardware where the robot?s form must follow its function. The project?s intellectual merit stems from the formulation of a unified algorithmic framework. Current humanoids have the form to mimic a person?s motions but lack the software to function and operate in human-centered environments. Through the IRES, at least 12 American students will each spend 6-months in Korea working at the KAIST Hubo Lab. This partnership enables the American software developers to drive Korean hardware efforts and together design future versions of KAIST?s world-class humanoid. The net effect will be a robot that can efficiently function and effectively operate in human-centered environments like power plants and industry sites for collaborative tasks, humanitarian assistance and disaster response.The project broadly impacts research, education, business development and K-12 curricula: humanoid design will advance research in legged locomotion, whole-body motion planning, perception and dexterous manipulation; the 6-month experience at KAIST educates US students in international research collaboration; the involvement of Korean robotics companies helps US students develop products; and the after-school programs with a Philadelphia High School will yield robotics-based teaching modules. The net effect is a set of broader impacts which are enabled by the IRES and sustainable well after the project completes.

福岛核灾难是机器人技术的一个觉醒时刻。尽管经过了多年的研究和各种各样的机器人，但仍然无法完成转动阀门和安装软管等任务。如果这样的任务在事故的早期阶段执行，大部分后果本可以避免。辐射水平过高，迫使救援人员等待，灾难愈演愈烈。发电厂和工业现场是以人为中心的环境，通常以门、舱口、楼梯和梯子为特征，需要进入或攀登。此外，这种环境的特点是需要操作和连接的阀门、软管和开关。然而，机器人还不够成熟，不能在这样的环境中有效地运作和运作。这个为期3年的IRES项目与美国和韩国的机器人专家合作，他们分别在人形的软件和硬件设计方面拥有专业知识。其目标是协作设计人形机器人，使其在以人为中心的环境中运行。这既重要又紧迫，既能满足国家需求，又能满足国际需求。机器人的这种服务和缓解需要软件和硬件的耦合开发，而S式的机器人必须遵循其功能。这个项目？S的智力优点源于制定了一个统一的算法框架。目前的人形机器人有模仿人的形式--S的动作，但缺乏在以人为中心的环境中运行和操作的软件。通过IRES，至少12名美国学生每人将在韩国KAIST Hubo实验室工作6个月。这一合作关系使美国软件开发商能够推动韩国的硬件努力，并共同设计未来版本的凯斯特？S世界级仿人机器人。最终成果将是一个能够在发电厂和工业现场等以人类为中心的环境中高效运作并有效运行的机器人，以执行协作任务、人道主义援助和灾难应对。该项目广泛影响研究、教育、商业发展和K-12课程：人形设计将促进腿部运动、全身运动规划、感知和灵活操作方面的研究；KAIST为期6个月的经验培养美国学生参与国际研究合作；韩国机器人公司的参与帮助美国学生开发产品；费城高中的课外项目将产生基于机器人的教学模块。净效果是一系列更广泛的影响，这些影响是由IRES实现的，并在项目完成后很久才能持续。