Platform

Abstract

AbstractThe iCub robot is a humanoid robot that have been developed at the Italian Institute of technology and University of Genoa, with the purpose to carry out research in embodied cognition. More precisely, the iCub robot is the result of a research project focusing on the study of developmental capabilities of cognitive systems. This project, called RobotCub, has been funded by the European Commission through Unit E5 Cognitive Systems, Interaction & Robotics (see [6, 9, 10, 15, 16]). In the framework of embodied cognition, perception covers a fundamental role in robot learning and development. They are in fact the result of the continuous interaction with the environment, which is necessary to build the basis to abstract reasoning. To achieve learning capabilities and self development and reasoning, anthropomorphism, compliance and sensorization are fundamental. These aspects are necessary to study human and humanoid development. To allow the robot to become a self-reasoning system, the basic perceptual aspects of human become requisites of the design process of a humanoid platform. The main features characterizing the design of the iCub robot, including the choice of the sensors the robotic platform is equipped with, are therefore here presented.KeywordsKinematic ChainRobotic PlatformTerminal LinkBrushless MotorPlanetary GearboxThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.