Okay, so on the surface, the videos appear to be little more than an Anime fanboy's dream come true. But see past the robot geekiness for a moment, and you realize something. Those arms actually move, and it doesn't take much to operate them.
Kogoro Kurata took the concept of a master-slave system, and made it a reality. Manga artist and designer Shirow Masamune, in his 1992 book Intron Depot 1, explained the concept this way:
The master arms have small joints that correspond to the shoulders and elbows [...]. You control the slave arms as if you were manipulating a small puppet in front of you.Now, I don't know if Kurata was the first person to manage this. If others came before him, he's simply getting the most press right now. But this is a technology that has some real potential. Although the Kuratas robots are artworks, and not "real" vehicles, if someone takes that idea and expands upon it, it could open up a wealth of possibilities. It's the combination of "what if" and "I can do that."
Open the pod bay doors, HAL...
ReplyDeleteActually the waldo concept (which was described by Heinlein if I recall?) was used effectively by submersible bathyscapes in the 1970s or late 1960s... The software he is using is one that is available that's normally used for small scale hobbyist robots. :D
Yep, I'm aware that what he's doing isn't really new, either hardware or software-wise (after all, few ideas are 100% original), but he's put it together in a new way. And I think that if this finds a level of success, then we'll see more people build on it.
ReplyDelete(But isn't this slightly different than a standard waldo that mirrors your own movements?)
Ah, good point, it's a lot more like the puppet controls used in some CG animation, for one example, than a proper waldo. I agree, the combination of the different methods of control is particularly inspired. I do hope it finds some success, though its practicality beyond being a big toy will need to be further demonstrated, of course.
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