IST-004370 - RobotCub
RobotCub
IST-004370
www.robotcub.org
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Main Keywords
•
•
•
•
Cognition (manipulation)
Human Development
Embodiment
Community Building
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Two Goals or a two-fold Goal?
Create a physical
platform for
embodied
cognitive
research
Advance our
understanding of
several key issues
in cognition
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Main Figures
• RobotCub is a 5 years projects
• Presently the consortium is composed of 16
Partners, 11 from Europe, 3 from Japan and 2
from the USA.
• Total Funding is 8.5 M€ and total effort is 1,651
person-months (138 person-years)
• Coordinator is the LIRA-Lab of the University of
Genova: Giulio Sandini, Giorgio Metta and David
Vernon
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
No
Current Consortium
Name
1 University of Genova – DIST
(Giulio Sandini, David Vernon, Giorgio Metta)
2 Scuola S. Anna – Pisa
(Paolo Dario)
3 University of Zurich
(Rolf Pfeifer)
4 University of Uppsala
(Claes von Hofsten)
5 University of Ferrara
(Luciano Fadiga)
6 University of Hertfordshire
(Kerstin Dautenhahn)
7 IST Lisbon
(Jose Santos-Victor)
8 University of Salford
(Darwin Caldwell, John Gray)
9 Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne - (Aude Billard,
Auke Ijspeert)
10 Telerobot S.r.l.
(Francesco Becchi, David Corsini)
11 European Brain Research Institute (Emilio BIzzi)
12 MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
(Rod Brooks)
13 University of Minnesota - Dept. of Neurology
(Juergen Konkzak)
14 Communications Research Laboratory, Japan
(Hideki Kozima)
15 Universty of Tokyo - Department of Mechano-Informatics,
(Yasuo Kuniyoshi)
16 ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories – Kyoto –
(Gordon Cheng)
Short Name
Main Expertise in Project
UGDIST
Cognitive Robotics – Vision and Manipulation
SSSUP
Cognitive Robotics – Manipulation Hardware
UNIZH
Cognitive Robotics – Audition and Touch
UNIUP
Cognitive development of manipulation skills in humans
UNIFE
Physiology of Manipulation control in humans
UH
Cognitive Behavior and Interaction
IST
Cognitive Robotics – Eye-head coordination
UNISAL
Robotics – Locomotion
EPFL
Cognitive Behavior and Interaction (Billard - ASL)
Locomotion (Ijspeert - LSL)
TLR
Mechanical design and manufacturing
EBRI
Sensorimotor Coordination and motor cognition
CSAIL
Cognitive Humanoid Robotics
UNIMN
Developmental Psychology
CRL
UNITK
ATR
Humanoid Robotics and Development
Humanoid Robotics
Neuroscience and Humanoid Robotics
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
An open system!
Robot-Cub engineering goal is to build a
humanoid platform whose design is open to the
scientific community and can be duplicated and
improved by the community of its users.
Clearly stated in our Consortium Agreement
We are looking for other projects willing to join
RobotCub with the same open attitude.
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Seeking International Collaboration
The European Commission is funding part of the
internationalization activities and the project will
support the research of groups interested in using
the robot platform (about 2 Meuro have been set
aside for this purpose).
…reference person’s name from each of the
ongoing projects interested to contribute…
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Main Objectives (60 months)
1.
2.
3.
4.
..a professionally documented, reproducible open
platform shaped like a child-humanoid
..the understanding through real-world implementation
of exploratory and manipulation-based cognitive
skills
..the study and implementation of the initial period of
human cognitive development in an embodied
artificial system
..building of an international scientific community
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
…which rest on several props
• Unity of cognition: body and mind-ware co-design:
– Requirements: hands, dexterity, etc.
• Exploiting holistic design:
– Complex bodies requires global optimization
• Cost effectiveness:
– An open system can lead to a more efficient
design/exploitation process
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Science-wise
• Manipulation as a link
between action and
perception
• Manipulation from
grasping to gesture
production with
communicative intents
• From tool use to the
creation of tool-ware
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
General layout (60 months)
Time
Activities
Start of activities on specific aspects of
cognition (several parallel activities), start the
0
design of the CUB, start internationalization
activities, start open source support
18 months
3 years
First evaluation of cognitive investigation
Mechanical design of the CUB
Robot-cub and mindware integration
Launch of competitive call for proposals
3 years New investigation starts using the open platform
5 years
Integration of the mindware developed during
the five years
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Activity allocation
1
3
Building
the
robotic
platform
1
3
Doing
a lot of
science
1
3
Building
a
communit
y
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Activities
ACT 1: Mind
(Cognitive Neuroscience)
ACT 2: Body
(Cognitive Robotics)
ACT 3: Open System
(Dissemination)
RC 2.1
Eye-Head-Hand
Coordination
Head-eye and Vision
RC 1.2
Bimanual Coordination
RC 3.2
RC 2.2
Arm-Hand and Touch
RC 1.3
RC 2.3
Interaction and
Affordance
Spine-Legs and Walk
RC 1.4
Interaction and Imitation
Mechanical Drawings
Electronic Drawings
RC 3.3
Firmware and Software
RC 3.4
CUB Manufacture
RC 2.4
Electronics and Control
RC 3.5
Internationalization
RC 1.5
RC 2.5
RC 3.6
Interaction and
Communication
Enabling Technologies
Maintenance and
Update
Community Building
Learning and Development
RC 3.1
RC 1.1
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Child-like, how much?
243mm
439mm
Approx 934mm
369mm
Avg. 14Kg - 30.8 lb
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Started playing w/ components…
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Temporal Dependencies (60 Months)
ACT 1: Mind
(Cognitive
Neuroscience)
ACT 2: Body
(Cognitive Robotics)
ACT 3: Open System
(Dissemination)
Define manipulation
experiments
Define hardware
architecture
Specifications
Experiments with
existing platforms
Design new
components
Design Documents
Experiments with
new components
Realize new
components
Executive
Documents
Experiment with
whole system
Realize whole system
18 months
Revised Executive
Documents
Robot-Cub Platform
Scientific Dissemination Activities
time
Final Demonstration
60 months
Maintenance and
Update
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
The six objectives of month 18
SO-1
A model of human infants’ cognitive development based on recent
and well documented experimental results. The model shall include, in
an experimentally reproducible way, a description of how the robotic
artifact develops over time showing the formation of manipulation
skills of varying levels.
Psychophysical and behavioral experiments will be planned and
carried out to answer specific questions on the implementation and to
acquire relevant missing information about the developmental process.
Responsibility: Claes von Hofsten (UNIUP)
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IST-004370 - RobotCub
SO-2
The complete design of all CUB components and a suitable
integration plan. This includes the definition of the functional and
technical specifications of the CUB mechanics, electronics and
software architecture. At this stage of the project, the partners
responsible for the CUB design and for testing the CUB individual
components will have: a) completed the design stage, b) run a
mechanical compatibility test and c) written a preliminary plan for
integration. .
Responsibility: Giorgio Metta (UGDIST)
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
SO-3
The initial results of the implementation of cognitive abilities in an
artificial system. This objective will be demonstrated through extensive
testing of the robots’ cognitive abilities in realistic situations,
implemented in several of the existing robotic platforms. In addition to
basic manipulatory and visual skills, the robots will be equipped with
a number of basic social skills, enabling natural interactions between
robots and humans.
Responsibility: David Vernon (UGDIST)
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
SO-4
Results of the testing of new technologies to be used in the CUB
platform. Particularly important for the scope and goal of Robot-cub is
to monitor and to test continuously new technologies for sensors and
actuators as well as the electronic (HW/SW) components of the Open
System Platform .
Responsibility: Paolo Dario (SSSA)
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
SO-5
The Community Building activities will be carried out all along the
project’s duration.
Responsibility: Giulio Sandini (UGDIST)
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
SO-6
Define and refine the IPR and licencing rules of robotcub
Responsibility: David Vernon (UGDIST)
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Contacts
http://www.robotcub.org
Next meeting is November 25-27 in Genova
Everybody is welcome!
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
How do we get there through a
roadmap?
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Synthesize our knowledge of human
cognitive development
• Neuroscience leads 
• Organize state of the art understanding of
cognition
• Prepare, think, plan, new experiments to
fill the gaps
• Derive suggestions for robotic
experiments, CUB requirements,
materials, skills, control, etc.
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Since we’re focusing on manipulation
Development
Learning what
Perception/Action
exploitation
Component of Social
Interaction
Goal of system
Immediate
No
yet
Delay
between
action
onset and
consequen
ces
Long
delays
reaching
Head-eye coordination
Gazing, smooth pursuit
Shared attention
Look around
Pre-Reaching
Approach an object
Controlling arm and
hand movements in
space
Pointing
Touch
Power
grasping
Eye-hand
coordination
based on object position and
object motion
Anticipatory closing of
the hand
Reaching for object
held by other person
“I got it!”
Grasp
“owner”)
Differentiated
grasping
Adjustments to object shape
and size
Eye-arm-hand
coordination based on
object s’ shape
Take and give
Grasp
appropriately
(geometric)
Object
manipulation
Objects’ affordances
Eye-arm-hand
Coordination based on
actions to be executed
on objects
Play games
Handle
objects
appropriately (use)
Imitate acts on
objects
Associate what is seen with
what the system can do
What I do looks like
what I see
Play games
Action’s Interpretation
Act
to
Communicate
Associate what is seen
(perceived) with “meaning”
What I do generates
some reactions
Communication
Action’s meaning
(become
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Start the robot design investigation
• Leveraging on our past experience
different aspects of the CUB design are
handled in parallel
• Specific targeted investigation on, for
instance, materials or new sensing,
actuation technology might be launched
[budget has been allocated for this
purpose]
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IST-004370 - RobotCub
In parallel start mindware investigation
• Robotic experiments are initiated relying
on existing setups
• Aims:
– clarify specific aspects of interests along the
developmental timeline
– Uncover the developmental mechanisms
useful in building adaptive machines
– Clarify the link between action, perception,
and cognition
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Opening the system
• Starting the organization of the open
system repository
• Establishing adequate level of
documentation [both SW and HW]
• Establishing standards (e.g. for sharing
upgrades)
• Attracting the community to the CUB
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IST-004370 - RobotCub
Start building a community
• Dissemination: advertise the project
worldwide
• Training: getting young scientists involved
with cognitive robotics
• Lobbying: getting other funding agencies
(third country participants) involved with
financing cognitive robotics actions
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
@ month 18
Coalesce the activities into:
Design of the CUB and integration plan
Design of parts of the mindware architecture
and stricter integration plan
Specific results from technology search [to go
into the CUB], from neuroscience [to fill the
“gaps”], and from the internationalization and
training activities [international community
building]
…and more importantly a demonstration!
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
The vision @ 18 months
 Robot  Play-pal
 Sitting around a table, playing with toys, tools,
objects…
Learn how to:
Properly grasp a toy/tool
Associate tools to specific actions
Adjust the action wrt the environmental conditions
Combine primitive grasp/manipulative actions
Interact appropriately with the play-pal in learning a
new game or task
ICDL 2004
IST-004370 - RobotCub
Milestones @ month 18
Initial specifications of the CUB (open
system)
Definition of the cognitive architecture and
initial implementation of manipulative
behaviors
Creation of the core components of the
international community and plans for an
international project
ICDL 2004