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Introduction Robotics is a field of study in computer science that is unlike others in several respects. It is much more applied than other areas, being real-time, with an emphasis on making sure that a system works well quickly, as opposed to perfectly but too late. This is a reflection of the way the world works: while a server representing numbers in a database exists only because we define those numbers, the world is much more complex. It is impossible to assimilate all the information from our environment; indeed, the human brain filters out most of the information entering it, such as the texture of your socks. Similarly, a robot must act within its environment in real time, and this requires an abstraction of that environment. This can be done in two ways: by limiting the environment, such as robots in a car factory, or by programming behaviours into the robot to allow it to roam freely in an environment with enough resilience to not get stuck. Robots can be split into several categories, including factory robots and utility robots such as can-collectors. Another type of robots, which is a more recent class, is the entertainment robot. An example of this is Sony's AIBO robot, which in its first version priced at over $1800 sold out in a matter of minutes. Robots of this kind interact with humans, sensing their environment and reacting in real time. Their behaviour can be seemingly unpredictable, and most un-robot like. These are the types of robot that imitate life most accurately. For our project, we have decided to focus on entertainment robots and design and construct our own. Its name is WOBU, and its purpose is to seek out people and entertain them by dancing and singing to them. In order for the robot to appeal to a large audience, its interaction system is sound, the most intuitive method of interaction and communication to humans. |
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