Patent Application
20200398432
The present invention relates to a robotic platform and associated software services, and, more particularly, a robotics platform for enabling remote users to interact with an environment physically and visually through a remotely located robotic surrogate.
Humankind is moving towards a future where we can be virtually present anywhere. As humans, we will always want and need a physical interface with the world and with each other. Families do not live in as close proximity to each other nowadays like they did only 100 years ago. Now, many extended families live apart from each other among different states, and in some cases different countries. This causes some parents and grandparents, or other family members, who live far away from their extended family to miss out on natural play experiences critical for good communication, intimacy, and bonding. Further, play experiences for young children are vital for developing their motor and communication skills, as well as stoking their creativity.
So-called telepresence robots of today lack any type of mobility with respect to arm or appendage movements and are merely a tablet with wheels. Further, current solutions lack safety measures to protect those that interact with the telepresence robots, such as young children, or the like.
What is needed is a platform which enables safe remote human-to-human physical interaction through robotic surrogates, or avatars.
A system, method, and apparatus comprising multiple software systems is disclosed. In a first embodiment, systems may provide a robotic platform having associated software services which enables remote users to interact with an environment and other humans physically and visually through a robotic surrogate over a long distance, such as via a network (i.e. the internet). The robotic surrogate may be controlled by a user interface configured to receive user control inputs. The robotic surrogate may be operable to move in response to the inputs and commands. Typical movements may include moving around the room, adjusting the robotic surrogate's height, or the like. User control inputs may be tracked in three dimensional space using, for example, by one or more sensors, such as motion tracking handheld controllers, camera inputs, or the like.
In a second embodiment, the systems may serve to relay video to and from a robot device and send commands to the robot device which actuate physical movements of the robot device. Further, the servers may be enabled to receive one or more feedback signals/messages from the robot device. The received feedback may be displayed on a screen associated with a user having authorized control. Appropriate security protocols may be utilized to ensure user account management and security.
This disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the accompanying figure(s). The figure(s) may, alone or in combination, illustrate one or more embodiments of the disclosure. Elements illustrated in the figure(s) are not necessarily drawn to scale. Reference labels may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.
The detailed description makes reference to the accompanying figures in which:
The figures and descriptions provided herein may have been simplified to illustrate aspects that are relevant for a clear understanding of the herein described apparatuses, systems, and methods, while eliminating, for the purpose of clarity, other aspects that may be found in typical similar devices, systems, and methods. Those of ordinary skill may thus recognize that other elements and/or operations may be desirable and/or necessary to implement the devices, systems, and methods described herein. But because such elements and operations are known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure, for the sake of brevity a discussion of such elements and operations may not be provided herein. However, the present disclosure is deemed to nevertheless include all such elements, variations, and modifications to the described aspects that would be known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
As shown in
Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations of the present invention may be implemented without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modification and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and engines, described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
Further, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor, such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. Further, in some aspects, the processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of instructions on a machine readable medium and/or computer readable medium.
The computing device of the remote user may comprise of one or more sensors that may track one or more handheld motion tracking controllers, or other types of movement sensors that may track a user's natural movements in space. For example, in one embodiment, user control inputs made through natural user arm movements may be tracked in three dimensional space.
One or more disclosed embodiments provide a robotic platform enabling remote play, such as over a network or from a distance. In one embodiment, a user may control robotic movements via an interface local to the robot, such as in the same room as the robot, or via a local area network. In another embodiment, the user may control the robot from a distance, such as via a wide area network, or via the Internet. The disclosed robotic platform may provide a robotic surrogate having controllable arms with hands, or pincers that can pick up objects, such as toy blocks, or the like. Movements may be tracked of a remote user via a non-technical user interface utilizing virtual reality style natural movement motion tracking devices. An exemplary tracking device could be a Nolo VR® device, for example. It is understood that the disclosed is not limited to the usage of a Nolo VR® device. The robotic platform may further include an artificial intelligence (AI) user drive and control assistance in combination with one or more movement scripts to make complex movement effortless. The robot itself of the platform may be configured to include appropriate lighting and a body that is specially designed for play or other like activities that are created with safety in mind. Further, the robot platform may utilize lightning fast video feeds and other controls.
In some embodiments, a robotic surrogate may be placed in a home. A user in a remote location, such as a parent or relative, may initiate a call with the robotic surrogate via a user interface utilizing one or more motion tracking devices. The remote user may then interact with another user, such as a child, via the robotic surrogate.
The robotics platform may be engineered to be safe around humans, including, but not limited to, young children, or the like. Robotic functions may be controlled by one or more sensor arrays in conjunction with AI to assist users in controlling the robotic functions. Functions may include preset/automated functions that are enacted via single button actuation. A control UI may be integrated with handheld motion tracking controllers, thereby creating an intuitive non-technical UI for all skill levels. Additionally, or alternatively, a low-latency server side software may relay video and control commands sent from a device associated with a remote user to the robotic surrogate. In some embodiments, a kinematic box on a server may enable the movements of the robotic surrogate.
The robotic surrogate, such as surrogate 200 of
Configuration 500 may further include a telescoping torso 508. The torso 508 may enable the robot to alter the distance between the robot arms 516 and the ground. Arms 516 may each have four degrees freedom and may each have gripper hands 512. The arms 516 may be mounted on the torso 508. The arms may be equipped with pinch free joints. In some embodiments, the configuration 500 may include a drive system so the robot may move around. The drive system may be a three wheeled drive system, for example. The drive system may include two drive wheels 510 and a castor wheel 514. In at least one embodiment, the two drive wheels 510 may be powered and the castor wheel 514 may be a wheel that freely rotates.
The configurations set forth herein may include a system consisting of multiple software systems that serve to relay video to and from the robot, send commands, or instructions, to the robot that cause the robot to actuate physical movements, and receive feedback about the robot status. The robot status may, in one example, be displayed on the control side to ensure user account management and security. In view of
As shown in diagram 700 of
In accordance with the robotic device, the platform may further include a system which allows a user to augment the expression of human emotion using multiple light (e.g., LED) arrays. The arrays may be the arrays 520 of the robotic surrogate shown in
As illustrated in
A sample one pane script, which is not deemed to be limiting in any way:
It is appreciated that exemplary computing system 100 is merely illustrative of a computing environment in which the herein described systems and methods may operate, and thus does not limit the implementation of the herein described systems and methods in computing environments having differing components and configurations. That is, the inventive concepts described herein may be implemented in various computing environments using various components and configurations.
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the herein described apparatuses, engines, devices, systems and methods are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions. There is no intention to limit the scope of the invention to the specific constructions described herein. Rather, the herein described systems and methods are intended to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the scope and spirit of the disclosure, any appended claims and any equivalents thereto.
In the foregoing detailed description, it may be that various features are grouped together in individual embodiments for the purpose of brevity in the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that any subsequently claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited.
Further, the descriptions of the disclosure are provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but rather is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62856522 | Jun 2019 | US |
