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Epi : An open humanoid platform for developmental robotics

Johansson, Birger LU orcid ; Tjøstheim, Trond A. LU and Balkenius, Christian LU orcid (2020) In International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems 17(2).
Abstract

Epi is a humanoid robot developed by Lund University Cognitive Science Robotics Group. It was designed to be used in experiments in developmental robotics and has proportions to give a childlike impression while still being decidedly robotic. The robot head has two degrees of freedom in the neck and each eye can independently move laterally. There is a camera in each eye to make stereovision possible. The arms are designed to resemble those of a human. Each arm has five degrees of freedom, three in the shoulder, one in the elbow and one in the wrist. The hands have four movable fingers and a stationary thumb. A force distribution mechanism inside the hand connect a single servo to the movable fingers and makes sure the hand closes... (More)

Epi is a humanoid robot developed by Lund University Cognitive Science Robotics Group. It was designed to be used in experiments in developmental robotics and has proportions to give a childlike impression while still being decidedly robotic. The robot head has two degrees of freedom in the neck and each eye can independently move laterally. There is a camera in each eye to make stereovision possible. The arms are designed to resemble those of a human. Each arm has five degrees of freedom, three in the shoulder, one in the elbow and one in the wrist. The hands have four movable fingers and a stationary thumb. A force distribution mechanism inside the hand connect a single servo to the movable fingers and makes sure the hand closes around an object regardless of its shape. The rigid parts of the hands are 3D printed in PLA and HIPS while the flexible parts, including the joints and the tendons, are made from polyurethane rubber. The control system for Epi is based on neurophysiological data and is implemented using the Ikaros system. Most of the sensory and motor processing is done at 40 Hz to allow smooth movements. The irises of the eyes can change colour and the pupils can dilate and contract. There is also a grid of LEDs that resembles a mouth that can be animated by changing colour and intensity.

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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Developmental robotics, open-source
in
International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems
volume
17
issue
2
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85082550044
ISSN
1729-8806
DOI
10.1177/1729881420911498
project
Kognitiv robotik
Lund University AI Research
Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanities and Society
Ethics for autonomous systems/AI
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
dd4402cd-abb5-42e6-988e-f9d6f6483cc2
date added to LUP
2020-04-24 14:53:58
date last changed
2022-04-18 21:51:04
@article{dd4402cd-abb5-42e6-988e-f9d6f6483cc2,
  abstract     = {{<p>Epi is a humanoid robot developed by Lund University Cognitive Science Robotics Group. It was designed to be used in experiments in developmental robotics and has proportions to give a childlike impression while still being decidedly robotic. The robot head has two degrees of freedom in the neck and each eye can independently move laterally. There is a camera in each eye to make stereovision possible. The arms are designed to resemble those of a human. Each arm has five degrees of freedom, three in the shoulder, one in the elbow and one in the wrist. The hands have four movable fingers and a stationary thumb. A force distribution mechanism inside the hand connect a single servo to the movable fingers and makes sure the hand closes around an object regardless of its shape. The rigid parts of the hands are 3D printed in PLA and HIPS while the flexible parts, including the joints and the tendons, are made from polyurethane rubber. The control system for Epi is based on neurophysiological data and is implemented using the Ikaros system. Most of the sensory and motor processing is done at 40 Hz to allow smooth movements. The irises of the eyes can change colour and the pupils can dilate and contract. There is also a grid of LEDs that resembles a mouth that can be animated by changing colour and intensity.</p>}},
  author       = {{Johansson, Birger and Tjøstheim, Trond A. and Balkenius, Christian}},
  issn         = {{1729-8806}},
  keywords     = {{Developmental robotics; open-source}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{2}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems}},
  title        = {{Epi : An open humanoid platform for developmental robotics}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1729881420911498}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1729881420911498}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}