TY - JOUR
T1 - Intuitive and Interactive Robotic Avatar System for Tele-Existence
T2 - TEAM SNU in the ANA Avatar XPRIZE Finals
AU - Park, Beomyeong
AU - Kim, Donghyeon
AU - Lim, Daegyu
AU - Park, Suhan
AU - Ahn, Junewhee
AU - Kim, Seungyeon
AU - Shin, Jaeyong
AU - Sung, Eunho
AU - Sim, Jaehoon
AU - Kim, Junhyung
AU - Kim, Myeong Ju
AU - Cha, Junhyeok
AU - Park, Gyeongjae
AU - Lee, Hokyun
AU - You, Seungbin
AU - Jang, Keunwoo
AU - Kim, Seung Hun
AU - Schwartz, Mathew
AU - Park, Jaeheung
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Avatar robots enable the teleoperation and telepresence of an operator with a rich and meaningful sense of existence in another location. Robotic avatar systems rely on intuitive interactions to afford operators comfortable and accurate robot control to perform various tasks. The ability of operators to feel immersed within a robot has drawn interest in multiple research fields to explore the future capabilities of such systems. This paper presents a robotic avatar system based on a custom humanoid robot, TOCABI, with a mobile base. Its teleoperation system was developed in response to the ANA Avatar XPRIZE. Combining the life-size humanoid robot and the mobile base allows for improved mobility and dexterous manipulation. The robotic avatar system comprises the robot/base and an operator station that incorporates haptic feedback devices, trackers, a head-mounted display, gloves, and pedals. These devices connect the robot-environment interaction and operator-avatar robot experience through visual, auditory, tactile, haptic, and kinesthetic feedback. Combining the untethered battery-operated and Wi-Fi-enabled robot with these sensory experiences enables intuitive control through the operator’s body movement. The performance of the robotic avatar system was evaluated through user studies and demonstrated in the ANA Avatar XPRIZE Finals, represented by Team SNU, where it completed 8 of the 10 missions, placing the team eighth among the 17 finalists.
AB - Avatar robots enable the teleoperation and telepresence of an operator with a rich and meaningful sense of existence in another location. Robotic avatar systems rely on intuitive interactions to afford operators comfortable and accurate robot control to perform various tasks. The ability of operators to feel immersed within a robot has drawn interest in multiple research fields to explore the future capabilities of such systems. This paper presents a robotic avatar system based on a custom humanoid robot, TOCABI, with a mobile base. Its teleoperation system was developed in response to the ANA Avatar XPRIZE. Combining the life-size humanoid robot and the mobile base allows for improved mobility and dexterous manipulation. The robotic avatar system comprises the robot/base and an operator station that incorporates haptic feedback devices, trackers, a head-mounted display, gloves, and pedals. These devices connect the robot-environment interaction and operator-avatar robot experience through visual, auditory, tactile, haptic, and kinesthetic feedback. Combining the untethered battery-operated and Wi-Fi-enabled robot with these sensory experiences enables intuitive control through the operator’s body movement. The performance of the robotic avatar system was evaluated through user studies and demonstrated in the ANA Avatar XPRIZE Finals, represented by Team SNU, where it completed 8 of the 10 missions, placing the team eighth among the 17 finalists.
KW - Avatar system
KW - Human machine interface
KW - Human robot interaction
KW - Humanoid robot
KW - Teleoperation
KW - Telepresence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85197942379&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85197942379&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12369-024-01152-y
DO - 10.1007/s12369-024-01152-y
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85197942379
SN - 1875-4791
JO - International Journal of Social Robotics
JF - International Journal of Social Robotics
ER -