...The human-like robot now orbiting 264 miles above the earth aboard the International Space
Station is still packed away in a storage container. But at some point the machine will work
side-by-side with the humans and will give the world a glimpse of what’s to come.
...R2, already been named “Robot of the Year” by a popular technology website, doesn’t have
a lower torso. But a future version may one day give a nod of thanks, perhaps literally, to a
team of researchers in Pensacola, Fla., for helping it get legs to get around.
...The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition is developing technologies with
NASA that will give Robonaut 2, or other humanoid robots, the ability to walk on most any
surface or climb around inside the ISS.
...“For the last year, our robotics team and folks at Johnson (Space Center, Houston) have
been working to understand how R2, or robots like R2, could be outfitted with legs and
enabled to walk,” said Ken Ford, founder and CEO of IHMC in downtown Pensacola.
...“We’ve done a lot of work in bipedal walkers,” said Ford. IHMC’s work with Johnson has
explored the use of legs in various gravitational environments, from Earth, to Mars, the Moon
and even micro-gravity like that found in orbit and near asteroids.
...Walking with two, four or more legs is not that unusual for robotic systems. One of the best
known bipedal robots is Honda’s Asimo which walks impressively but can’t yet manage
unexpected uneven terrain or even a solid bump. Its legs move through a pre-programmed
sequence of motion. The challenge is to design and build bipedal robots that can walk over
unexpected terrain, recover from pushes, and do work in the real world – or other worlds.
...IHMC’s work on R2 is a natural progression from the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) Learning Locomotion project, designed to develop a new generation of
learning algorithms to enable robots to navigate rough terrain. IHMC was one of six research
teams provided with a small four-legged robot, Boston Dynamics’ Little Dog, to develop
algorithms for negotiating rough terrain. During this project, IHMC researchers got Little Dog
to walk over rocks, steps, barriers, gaps and other terrain.
...In IHMC’s current locomotion project, the subject is Robonaut 2, which has a stout torso,
powerful arms and eerily human-like fingers. It’s most striking feature may be its gold helmet,
giving it a superhero look. Created through a 2007 partnership between General Motors and
NASA, engineers worked together at Johnson Space Center to develop R2.
...“It’s perhaps the world’s most advanced robotic upper body,” said Ford.
...Developing a robot like R2 is a natural for NASA, which long ago embraced robotic systems
to explore space. NASA’s work with robot systems includes probes sent into deep space and
rover systems like PathFinder, Spirit and Opportunity.
...As a precursor to the lower body, the team in Pensacola has been developing a robot called
“M2V2,” which was designed and built in 2007-2008 by IHMC and Yobotics Inc., of
Cincinnati. Its initial walking program was developed in 2008-2009. It has twelve motors to
provide power to the hips, knees and ankles. An on-board computer is used to control the
robot.
...But even without legs, R2 is on its first mission. It was packed on Discovery for delivery to
the International Space Station, where it will help with everyday tasks and allow NASA to
explore ways to have astronauts and robots work together. It will first go through a period of
tests and further development. A twin to the robot is at Johnson Space Center, undergoing
refinement. – David Tortorano
April 2011
Station is still packed away in a storage container. But at some point the machine will work
side-by-side with the humans and will give the world a glimpse of what’s to come.
...R2, already been named “Robot of the Year” by a popular technology website, doesn’t have
a lower torso. But a future version may one day give a nod of thanks, perhaps literally, to a
team of researchers in Pensacola, Fla., for helping it get legs to get around.
...The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition is developing technologies with
NASA that will give Robonaut 2, or other humanoid robots, the ability to walk on most any
surface or climb around inside the ISS.
...“For the last year, our robotics team and folks at Johnson (Space Center, Houston) have
been working to understand how R2, or robots like R2, could be outfitted with legs and
enabled to walk,” said Ken Ford, founder and CEO of IHMC in downtown Pensacola.
...“We’ve done a lot of work in bipedal walkers,” said Ford. IHMC’s work with Johnson has
explored the use of legs in various gravitational environments, from Earth, to Mars, the Moon
and even micro-gravity like that found in orbit and near asteroids.
...Walking with two, four or more legs is not that unusual for robotic systems. One of the best
known bipedal robots is Honda’s Asimo which walks impressively but can’t yet manage
unexpected uneven terrain or even a solid bump. Its legs move through a pre-programmed
sequence of motion. The challenge is to design and build bipedal robots that can walk over
unexpected terrain, recover from pushes, and do work in the real world – or other worlds.
...IHMC’s work on R2 is a natural progression from the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) Learning Locomotion project, designed to develop a new generation of
learning algorithms to enable robots to navigate rough terrain. IHMC was one of six research
teams provided with a small four-legged robot, Boston Dynamics’ Little Dog, to develop
algorithms for negotiating rough terrain. During this project, IHMC researchers got Little Dog
to walk over rocks, steps, barriers, gaps and other terrain.
...In IHMC’s current locomotion project, the subject is Robonaut 2, which has a stout torso,
powerful arms and eerily human-like fingers. It’s most striking feature may be its gold helmet,
giving it a superhero look. Created through a 2007 partnership between General Motors and
NASA, engineers worked together at Johnson Space Center to develop R2.
...“It’s perhaps the world’s most advanced robotic upper body,” said Ford.
...Developing a robot like R2 is a natural for NASA, which long ago embraced robotic systems
to explore space. NASA’s work with robot systems includes probes sent into deep space and
rover systems like PathFinder, Spirit and Opportunity.
...As a precursor to the lower body, the team in Pensacola has been developing a robot called
“M2V2,” which was designed and built in 2007-2008 by IHMC and Yobotics Inc., of
Cincinnati. Its initial walking program was developed in 2008-2009. It has twelve motors to
provide power to the hips, knees and ankles. An on-board computer is used to control the
robot.
...But even without legs, R2 is on its first mission. It was packed on Discovery for delivery to
the International Space Station, where it will help with everyday tasks and allow NASA to
explore ways to have astronauts and robots work together. It will first go through a period of
tests and further development. A twin to the robot is at Johnson Space Center, undergoing
refinement. – David Tortorano
April 2011
Aerospace/robotics
IHMC seeks to give Robonaut 2 a leg up
IHMC seeks to give Robonaut 2 a leg up
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |