Inspired by the movie "Pacific Rim," researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a bi-pedaled robot with human interface.
MIT's robot named HERMES was assembled in the deep basement of the said institute. HERMES' movements are controlled by the motions of a human, like a puppeteer controlling a marionette. The pilot of the robot is suited with an exoskeleton that sends jolts to the user when the robot is about to fall or backtrack from momentous movements. It also has a remote on the hands to control the grip and release of the robot's hands.
The main problem of every robot is balance. That is why graduate students of the MIT who are in charge of this study made an interface to make use of human natural reflexes. These gives the robot the edge to stand up straight even after punching a wall or being pushed.
"The processing of images is typically very slow, so a robot has difficulty reacting in time," says Joao Ramos, a Mechanical Engineering graduate student.
"Instead, we'd like to use the human's natural reflexes and coordination. An example is walking, which is just a process of falling and catching yourself. That's something that feels effortless to us, but it's challenging to program into a robot to do it both dynamically and efficiently. We want to explore how humans can take over complex actions for the robot," said Ramos, who is currently taking up his PhD in the prestigious institution.
The end goal of the project is to develop HERMES, and to deploy the robot to disaster sites to help with search and rescue operations, guided by a human in a remote location.
"We'd eventually have someone wearing a full-body suit and goggles, so he can feel and see everything the robot does, and vice versa," Ramos says. "We plan to have the robot walk as a quadruped, then stand up on two feet to do difficult manipulation tasks such as open a door or clear an obstacle," he said.
These project is supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and is being performed by PhD student Joao Ramos and PhD student Albert Wang, both from MIT. Professor Sangbae Kim from Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Center Career Development also joins Ramos and Wang in this project.
![The Colonial-Style House from “Life As We Know It” in Atlanta [PHOTOS]](https://data.realtytoday.com/data/thumbs/full/4322/289/147/50/20/the-colonial-style-house-from-life-as-we-know-it-in-atlanta-photos.jpg)
