Some actually, actually good individuals at Stanford University have constructed human-like robotic that they hope might someday revolutionize subsea exploration and different underwater duties thought-about far too harmful for human divers. 

The humanoid robotic diver, named OceanOne, was offered Thursday at the History Museum in Marseille, the place the OceanOne workforce introduced the success of the robotic’s maiden voyage to the wreck of La Lune, the flagship of King Louis XIV, which sank in 1664 within the Mediterranean about 20 miles off the southern coast of France.

In addition to exploring shipwrecks, the workforce is hoping that OceanOne might be developed to discover work in catastrophe reduction, ship restore, offshore oil and gasoline, and different areas of oceanographic analysis the place the presence of precise human divers is taken into account too harmful or unimaginable. 

The look of OceanOne has been described as one thing like a robo-mermaid, measuring roughly 5 toes lengthy with an extended torso, head, and two totally articulated arms. The “tail” part homes batteries, computer systems and eight multi-directional thrusters. But the OceanOne workforce says it’s the palms that basically set their robotic aside from different submersibles:

Each totally articulated wrist is fitted with drive sensors that relay haptic suggestions to the pilot’s controls, so the human can really feel whether or not the robotic is greedy one thing agency and heavy, or gentle and delicate. (Eventually, every finger will probably be lined with tactile sensors.) The ‘bot’s mind additionally reads the information and makes positive that its palms maintain a agency grip on objects, however that they don’t injury issues by squeezing too tightly.

“You can feel exactly what the robot is doing,” stated Oussama Khatib, a professor of pc science at Stanford who main the OceanOne mission. “It’s almost like you are there; with the sense of touch you create a new dimension of perception.”

The OceanOne is powered by synthetic intelligence and haptic (contact) suggestions methods, permitting human pilots to discover the deep ocean – at the very least deeper than people are succesful – in excessive constancy. For probably the most half, the pilots received’t have to raise a finger, however at any level can take over the controls. 

Sensors all through the robotic gauge present and turbulence, routinely activating the thrusters to maintain the robotic in place. And even because the physique strikes, quick-firing motors alter the arms to maintain its palms regular as it really works. Navigation depends on notion of the surroundings, from each sensors and cameras, and these knowledge run by way of good algorithms that assist OceanOne keep away from collisions. If it senses that its thrusters received’t sluggish it down rapidly sufficient, it may possibly rapidly brace for influence with its arms, a bonus of a humanoid physique construct.

Not solely can the OceanOne robotic take the place of people, however it may possibly additionally work side-by-side with different human divers, permitting the pilot to speak through the use of hand gestures.

“We connect the human to the robot in very intuitive and meaningful way. The human can provide intuition and expertise and cognitive abilities to the robot,” Khatib stated. “The two bring together an amazing synergy. The human and robot can do things in areas too dangerous for a human, while the human is still there.”

Several college students performed key roles in OceanOne’s success, together with a handful of graduate college students who joined Khatib in France for the expedition, in addition to quite a lot of undergraduate and graduate college students. Khatib additionally drew on the experience of Mark Cutkosky, a professor of mechanical engineering, for designing and constructing the robotic arms.

Next month, OceanOne will return to the campus of Stanford University in coronary heart of California’s Silicon Valley, the place Khatib and his college students will proceed to develop the platform. Right now the prototype robotic is a lonely fleet of 1, however Khatib hopes to construct extra models, which after all would work in live performance in future duties.