14 DAY TRIAL // Robots have been a source of both fascination and paranoia ever since the first robot apocalypse story was written down, but that hasn't stopped man from researching and making more and more of them. Indeed, we're about to check out one whose sole purpose is to control other robots.
Thankfully, though, we don't have a Terminator or Skynet on our hands this time, but a robotic arm that can guide other mechanical contraptions in their tasks.
Called ROBOPuppet, the device was invented by a team of researchers led by Anna Eilering, Giulia Franchi and Kris Hauser from the Indiana University. Said robot is a robotic arm that controls a larger robotic arm. And no, we aren't kidding.
The ROBOPuppet
It should probably be called ROBOPuppeteer, since it's the one controlling the robot meant to do whatever job you need it too. On the other hand, the robot itself is a puppet for you.
You may have heard about the Baxter robot from Rethink Robotics. The robot lets a user program movements into it by physically moving the machine arms to the desired locations.
The ROBOPuppet allows you to remotely control and program Baxter in real time. While Baxter is too large to control directly, and doesn't necessarily operate in areas safe for humans, the smaller version lets you manipulate it however you wish.
And since what you do with the ROBOPuppet is mirrored by the Baxter, it all boils down to direct control of a large robotic limb located a fair distance away. No walking into a nuclear facility or waste depot required.
In the future, the ROBOPuppet will make it easier and safer to conduct robotic surgeries, test or remove explosives, etc. In any event, it's a lot more intuitive and easy to control than joysticks or keypads.
How the ROBOPuppet came to be
Researchers used a Staubli TX90L 6DOF controller, which takes 30% of the robotic arm's whole volume. The rest is the 3D printed mechanism and shell, which can be customized by you to fit other robotic arms if the need arises.
It took 35 hours to build the whole thing, thanks to a MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer: 29 hours for the printing, 6 for the procurement of everything else and the assembly. An Arduino UNO microcontroller was part of the design. The cost of it all was around $85 / €68.
The inventors were kind enough to publish the instructions for making the ROBOPuppet(-eer). Just make sure you have FreeCAD or TinkerCAD software and a 3D printer before you try, as well as everything else on the list.
