After four years of research, a team of engineers at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) in Genova has unveiled the iCub3 system, which features advanced avatar technologies.
Successfully tested in real-world scenarios, the system developed by IIT's Artificial and Mechanical Intelligence (AMI) lab enables remote visits to locations 186 miles (300 kilometers) away, captivates audiences at events and TV appearances, and competes in the prestigious ANA Avatar XPriz challenge.
This innovative technology is set to redefine human interaction and virtual presence on a global scale; according to the team,
The challenges and solutions encountered in developing the avatar system are featured in a research paper published in the journal Science Robotics.
Advanced proposition
The iCub3 robot avatar system has been designed to facilitate the embodiment of humanoid robots by human operators, encompassing aspects such as locomotion, manipulation, voice, and facial expressions with comprehensive sensory feedback, including visual, auditory, haptic, weight, and touch modalities.
The iCub3 avatar system consists primarily of the iCub3 humanoid robot, an evolved version of the IIT's humanoid robot born two decades ago, and innovative wearable technologies named iFeel.
Developed in collaboration with the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL), the avatar system is meticulously designed to enable human operators to embody humanoid robots seamlessly.
This cutting-edge technology encompasses various aspects, including locomotion, manipulation, voice, facial expressions, and comprehensive sensory feedback such as visual, auditory, haptic, weight, and touch modalities.
Thorough tests
The IIT research group conducted rigorous tests on the iCub3 avatar system across diverse real-world scenarios. In the initial November 2021 trial, a human operator in Genoa remotely controlled the avatar at the Biennale di Venezia in Venice, 300 kilometers away.
Overcoming challenges of stable communication and cautious interaction in the delicate art exhibition, the iFeel suit tracked the operator's motions, allowing the iCub3 robot to replicate precise movements, including fingers and eyelids.
According to the team, custom haptic devices conveyed sensations, such as a remote hug, with a mere hundred-millisecond delay over standard optical fiber internet.
In the June 2022 test at the We Make Future Show festival, the Genova operator controlled a Rimini-based robot, performing tasks on stage before an audience of 2000 amid electromagnetic interference. Specialized haptic devices conveyed the robot's weight perception, enhancing its expressive abilities for audience engagement.
November 2022 marked the iCub3 system's presentation at the ANA Avatar XPrize in Los Angeles, showcasing its adaptability. Operated by individuals outside the research team, the robot faced time-sensitive, diverse tasks, revealing its robust capabilities. Sensorized skin on the robot's hands allowed texture perception and intuitive control enabled direct manipulation.
The competition highlighted potential applications in space exploration, with the operator embodying the robot's locomotion for an immersive experience.
"The experience acquired by Daniele Pucci’s team was fundamental to turning the iCub3 avatar system into a new robot, the ergoCub robot, designed to maximize acceptability within the work environment. The new humanoid ergoCub, currently being developed at IIT, is meant to minimize risk and fatigue in collaborative tasks for workers for industry and healthcare," the team said in a statement.
Originally published on Interesting Engineering : Original article