Abstract
Epi is a humanoid robot developed by Lund University Cognitive Science Robotics Group. It was designed to be used in experiments in developmental robotics and has proportions to give a childlike impression while still being decidedly robotic. The robot head has two degrees of freedom in the neck and each eye can independently move laterally. There is a camera in each eye to make stereovision possible. The arms are designed to resemble those of a human. Each arm has five degrees of freedom, three in the shoulder, one in the elbow and one in the wrist. The hands have four movable fingers and a stationary thumb. A force distribution mechanism inside the hand connect a single servo to the movable fingers and makes sure the hand closes around an object regardless of its shape. The rigid parts of the hands are 3D printed in PLA and HIPS while the flexible parts, including the joints and the tendons, are made from polyurethane rubber. The control system for Epi is based on neurophysiological data and is implemented using the Ikaros system. Most of the sensory and motor processing is done at 40 Hz to allow smooth movements. The irises of the eyes can change colour and the pupils can dilate and contract. There is also a grid of LEDs that resembles a mouth that can be animated by changing colour and intensity.
Highlights
Central problems in developmental, or epigenetic, robotics include motor development, including eye–hand coordination, and the development of social skills
To facilitate the study of such abilities, we have developed an open humanoid platform, called Epi, as a research platform
By relying on readily available electronic components and 3D-printed parts, the robot platform is relatively inexpensive while still being versatile enough to be used in a wide range of research
Summary
Epigenetic, robotics include motor development, including eye–hand coordination, and the development of social skills. The robot is 0.57 m tall and weighs 4.5 kg It has 25 degrees of freedom, where 11 are for the legs and pelvis and 14 for the trunk, arms and head.[8] Nao’s hip differs somewhat from other legged designs in that it consists of coupled joints with rotation axes tilted at 45 towards the body. One project aimed at recoding animations that could be used to control the movement of Epi in a natural way.[31] The project investigated how movements like reaching, pulling and shoving could be recorded by means of filming humans performing the motions, and converting the film to angular data via motion tracking These data were transferred to the robot motors and played back. A Kinect sensor was used to detect the movement and posture of a person in front of the robot and relevant aspects where mapped to the robot
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
