ICub
Encyclopedia
An iCub is a 1 metre high humanoid robot
testbed
for research into human cognition and artificial intelligence.
It was designed by the RobotCub Consortium
, of several European universities and is now supported by other projects such as ITALK
. The robot is open-source, with the hardware design, software and documentation all released under the GPL license. The name is a partial acronym, cub standing for Cognitive Universal Body. Initial funding for the project was €
8.5 million from Unit E5 – Cognitive Systems and Robotics – of the European Commission
's Seventh Framework Programme, and this ran for six years from 1 September 2004 until 1 September 2010.
The motivation behind the strongly humanoid design is the embodied cognition
hypothesis, that human-like manipulation plays a vital role in the development of human cognition. A baby learns many cognitive skills by interacting with its environment and other humans using its limbs and senses, and consequently its internal model of the world is largely determined by the form of the human body. The robot was designed to test this hypothesis by allowing cognitive learning scenarios to be acted out by an accurate reproduction of the perceptual system and articulation of a small child so that it could interact with the world in the same way that such a child does.
.
It utilises tendon driven joints for the hand and shoulder, with the fingers flexed by teflon-coated cable tendons running inside teflon-coated tubes, and pulling against spring returns. Joint angles are measured using custom-designed Hall-effect
sensors and the robot can be equipped with torque sensors. The finger tips can be equipped with tactile touch sensors, and a distributed capacitive sensor skin is being developed.
The software library is largely written in C++ and uses YARP
for external communication via Gigabit Ethernet with off-board software implementing higher level functionality, the development of which has been taken over by the RobotCub Consortium. The robot was not designed for autonomous operation, and is consequently not equipped with onboard batteries or processors required for this —instead an umbilical cable provides power and a network connection.
In its final version, the robot has 53 actuated degrees of freedom
organized as follows:
The head has stereo cameras in a swivel mounting where eyes would be located on a human and microphones on the side. It also has lines of red LEDs representing mouth and eyes mounted behind the face panel for making facial expressions.
Since the first robots were constructed the design has undergone several revisions and improvements, for example smaller and more dexterous hands, and lighter, more robust legs with greater joint angles and which permit walking rather than just crawling.
(IIT) which is directed by Prof. Darwin Caldwell and Eng. Rosy Doronzo. The robots are constructed by the IIT and cost €200,000-250,000 each depending upon the version.
The development and construction of ICub at the Italian Institute of Technology
is part of an independent documentary film called Plug & Pray
which was released in 2010.
Humanoid robot
A humanoid robot or an anthropomorphic robot is a robot with its overall appearance, based on that of the human body, allowing interaction with made-for-human tools or environments. In general humanoid robots have a torso with a head, two arms and two legs, although some forms of humanoid robots...
testbed
Testbed
A testbed is a platform for experimentation of large development projects. Testbeds allow for rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of scientific theories, computational tools, and new technologies.The term is used across many disciplines to describe a development environment that is...
for research into human cognition and artificial intelligence.
It was designed by the RobotCub Consortium
RobotCub Consortium
RobotCub was a 5 years long project funded by the European Commission through Unit E5 "Cognition" of the IST. The project started in 2004 and terminated in January 2010...
, of several European universities and is now supported by other projects such as ITALK
ITALK Project
ITALK is a 4 year project funded by the European Commission through Unit E5 "Cognitive Systems and Robotics" of the ICT. It aims to develop artificial agents and robots able to acquire complex behavioural, cognitive, and linguistic skills through individual and social learning...
. The robot is open-source, with the hardware design, software and documentation all released under the GPL license. The name is a partial acronym, cub standing for Cognitive Universal Body. Initial funding for the project was €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
8.5 million from Unit E5 – Cognitive Systems and Robotics – of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
's Seventh Framework Programme, and this ran for six years from 1 September 2004 until 1 September 2010.
The motivation behind the strongly humanoid design is the embodied cognition
Embodied cognition
Philosophers, psychologists, cognitive scientists and artificial intelligence researchers who study embodied cognition and the embodied mind believe that the nature of the human mind is largely determined by the form of the human body. They argue that all aspects of cognition, such as ideas,...
hypothesis, that human-like manipulation plays a vital role in the development of human cognition. A baby learns many cognitive skills by interacting with its environment and other humans using its limbs and senses, and consequently its internal model of the world is largely determined by the form of the human body. The robot was designed to test this hypothesis by allowing cognitive learning scenarios to be acted out by an accurate reproduction of the perceptual system and articulation of a small child so that it could interact with the world in the same way that such a child does.
Specifications
The dimensions of the iCub are similar to that of a 3.5 year old child. The robot is controlled by an on-board PC104 controller which communicates with actuators and sensors using CANBusController Area Network
Controller–area network is a vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other within a vehicle without a host computer....
.
It utilises tendon driven joints for the hand and shoulder, with the fingers flexed by teflon-coated cable tendons running inside teflon-coated tubes, and pulling against spring returns. Joint angles are measured using custom-designed Hall-effect
Hall effect
The Hall effect is the production of a voltage difference across an electrical conductor, transverse to an electric current in the conductor and a magnetic field perpendicular to the current...
sensors and the robot can be equipped with torque sensors. The finger tips can be equipped with tactile touch sensors, and a distributed capacitive sensor skin is being developed.
The software library is largely written in C++ and uses YARP
YARP
YARP is an open-source software package, written in C++ for interconnecting sensors, processors, and actuators in robots....
for external communication via Gigabit Ethernet with off-board software implementing higher level functionality, the development of which has been taken over by the RobotCub Consortium. The robot was not designed for autonomous operation, and is consequently not equipped with onboard batteries or processors required for this —instead an umbilical cable provides power and a network connection.
In its final version, the robot has 53 actuated degrees of freedom
Degrees of freedom (engineering)
In mechanics, degrees of freedom are the set of independent displacements and/or rotations that specify completely the displaced or deformed position and orientation of the body or system...
organized as follows:
- 7 in each arm
- 9 in each hand (3 for the thumb, 2 for the index, 2 for the middle finger, 1 for the coupled ring and little finger, 1 for the adduction/abduction)
- 6 in the head (3 for the neck and 3 for the cameras)
- 3 in the torso/waist
- 6 in each leg
The head has stereo cameras in a swivel mounting where eyes would be located on a human and microphones on the side. It also has lines of red LEDs representing mouth and eyes mounted behind the face panel for making facial expressions.
Since the first robots were constructed the design has undergone several revisions and improvements, for example smaller and more dexterous hands, and lighter, more robust legs with greater joint angles and which permit walking rather than just crawling.
Capabilities of iCub
The iCub has been demonstrated with capabilities to successfully perform the following tasks, among others:- crawling, using visual guidance with optic marker on the floor
- archery, shooting arrows with a bow and learning to hit the center of the target
- facial expressions, allowing the iCub to express emotions
- force control, exploiting proximal force/torque sensors
- grasping small objects, such as balls, plastic bottles, etc.
iCubs in the world
There are about twenty iCubs in various laboratories mainly in Europe but also one in the USA. These were built by the RobotCub partners or other projects and form a small but lively community of scientists that use the iCub to study embodied cognition in artificial systems. Most of the financial support comes from the European Commission's Unit E5 or the Italian Institute of TechnologyItalian Institute of Technology
The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia or Italian Institute of Technology is a foundation established jointly by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to promote excellence in basic and applied research and to contribute to the economic...
(IIT) which is directed by Prof. Darwin Caldwell and Eng. Rosy Doronzo. The robots are constructed by the IIT and cost €200,000-250,000 each depending upon the version.
The development and construction of ICub at the Italian Institute of Technology
Italian Institute of Technology
The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia or Italian Institute of Technology is a foundation established jointly by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to promote excellence in basic and applied research and to contribute to the economic...
is part of an independent documentary film called Plug & Pray
Plug & Pray
Plug & Pray is a 2010 documentary film about the promise, problems and ethics of artificial intelligence and robotics. The main protagonists are the former MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum and the futurist Raymond Kurzweil.- Synopsis :...
which was released in 2010.
External links
- Nature article about the iCub.- YouTube Channel - a YouTube channel about the iCub.
- iCub presentations - from the Humanoid robotics symposium 2010.
- IROS'10 - Videos and workshop on iCub research.