Intuitive Control Instead of using a computer screen and keyboard, Douglas Few uses a Wii controller, which is much more intuitive.
Links Tracy LikesIdaho National Laboratory How the Nintendo Wii Works News: Wii-Controlled Robots Made for Combat More IM Interviews 7:25 PM dafew02: Hello me: Hello. Thanks for taking the time to chat.
7:28 PM dafew02: no problem me: So, can you tell me what your involvement was in the Wii project? What role did you play?
7:32 PM dafew02:
I noticed long ago (2-3 years ago) that although there is a field of
study called Human-Robot Interaction people who fielded robots
typically interacted with a Laptop or other control unit
7:34 PM Then
the Wii was all the rage and the wiimote was bluetooth so I thought
hey....rather than some gesture-based system to interact directly with
a robot why don't I see what the wiimote has to offer.
So I coded the wiimote interface to our intelligent control software for ground robots.
me: So you hacked into the Wii?
7:36 PM dafew02: hacked is a bit strong.... more like an early adopter of what was starting to showup on the web as "howto"
I reserve hacked for the person who decoded the bitstream me:
Ok, maybe too strong. But I'm also wondering if it's "okay" that you
did that. I mean, how might the Nintendo people feel about you adapting
their Wiimote for controlling armybots?
7:40 PM dafew02:
I have not heard from Nintendo. I am also not really interested in
Armybots.... My colleague showed some military guys the capability
during a chemical detection exercise and they noticed the value of have
the ability to launch the vehicles without directing all your cognitive
energies at a computer screen.
7:41 PM There is not a current military program directed at wiimotes and robots that I know of. I
think more in terms of if you need to have the home robot.... are you
going to login to your PC to have the robot fetch something OR would
you prefer a "TV" remote? me: So in that scenario of the home robot, how would you use a TV remote like device to direct the robot?
7:45 PM dafew02:
A device.. like the wiimote is needed so the robot and the human can
use the REAL environment as a substrate for understanding... When you
use an abstraction via a computer generated model it is 1 inconvenient
and 2. often time confusing without semantic representation (i.e.
labels indicating the kitchen, bedroom, etc.) With
the wiimote, laser pointers, smartphones etc... we can start crafting a
meaningful interaction scheme though readily available technology Lots of effort has gone into voice and gesture interaction... good work but this is a "fixed wing" solution to the HRI problem.
me:
Ok, but I still don't understand how someone would use the Wii with a
home robot. Would you point at the robot? At the mess on the floor that
the robot had to clean up?
dafew02: sure.
7:51 PM Currently you can control the robot with the wiimote the same ways you can control the robot via a GUI interface. I think the greater problem is closing the loop on getting the robot to "clean-up"
a roomba can vacuum.... my robots navigate and assess with sensors... I
have just finished mapping the degrees of Freedom found on the wii
nunchuk to a 6 Degree of Freedom Manipulator... so you could task the
robot to a point with the wiimote and then take local control of
grabing things with the nunchuk
7:54 PM In the future aspects of the task will become increasingly autonomous.
I refrain from using fully autonomous because even people answer to someone
or collaborate me: What would you say is the coolest thing about your job?
7:56 PM dafew02: I enjoy seeing that I can implement what I imagine. I also love the opportunity to see what cool things others are doing.... our collaborators... me: In what ways do you imagine robots might play a role in our lives in the future?
8:00 PM dafew02:
I am a pragmatist.... I think robots will be applied to harder and
harder tasks.... I refrain from joining the singularity crowd because I
think part of the human condition is maintaining an intimacy with our
"dirty work"...
me: Ha! I like that!
dafew02: thanks.
I have to go...
me: Gotcha
8:01 PM Thanks for your time!
dafew02: no problem
8:02 PM me: ok
safe travels
dafew02: caio |
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