Humanoid Robot Development

A Major Qualifying Project Report:

submitted to the Faculty of the
WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Degree of Bachelor of Science
by

_________________________
Jennifer Castriotta

_________________________
Matthew Heslop

In collaboration with
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Xiaomin He
Yong Liu
Renche Wang
Lu Zhao

Date: July 31, 2007

Approved:

________________________________
Professor Yiming (Kevin) Rong, Major Advisor
Professor Zhikun Hou, Major Advisor
Professor Liang Gao, Co Advisor, HUST

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a
degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its web site without editorial or peer review.
Abstract

Robotics is an industry that is rapidly growing all over the globe. One of the most

fascinating areas is the industry of Humanoid Robotics. This project was to create a

humanoid robot that would walk smoothly on two legs. The report details the process in

which the robot was designed, manufactured, assembled, programmed, and tested. Also

included is a series of recommendations for further expansion of the project.

ii
Acknowledgements

This project was done in unison with members of the student and faculty at the

Huazhong University of Science and Technology. We will like to take this time to thank

these members who have helped us in the completion of this project.

• Project partners Xiaomin He, Yong Liu, Renche Wang, and Lu Zhao for all their

hard work and support throughout the project.

• The Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST) Robotics Club for

their assistance through this process.

• Engineer Dongxing Wang for all his help with the manufacturing.

• Professors Yiming Rong, Professor Zhikun Hou, and Professor Liang Gao for

their support, assistance, and recommendations with the project.

iii
Table of Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgements............................................................................................................ iii
Table of Contents............................................................................................................... iv
List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... v
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi
1 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 1
2 Background ...................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Brief History of Robotics.......................................................................................... 3
2.2 Definition of Humanoid Robots................................................................................ 3
2.3 Current Uses of Humanoid Robots ........................................................................... 5
2.4 HUST Robot Club’s Biped Robot ............................................................................ 6
2.5 Future Uses of Humanoid Robots............................................................................. 8
3 Methodology .................................................................................................................... 9
3.1 Designing the Robot ................................................................................................. 9
3.2 Manufacturing the Required Parts .......................................................................... 11
3.3 Programming the Robot.......................................................................................... 13
3.3.1 The Developing Board..................................................................................... 13
3.3.2 Walking Program ............................................................................................. 13
3.3.3 Vision Program ................................................................................................ 14
3.4 Testing the Robot.................................................................................................... 15
4 Results and Analysis ...................................................................................................... 16
4.1 Designing the Robot ............................................................................................... 16
4.1.1 Designing the Legs .......................................................................................... 16
4.1.2 Designing the Upper Body............................................................................... 19
4.2 Manufacturing the Required Parts .......................................................................... 20
4.3 Programming the Robot.......................................................................................... 21
4.3.1 The Developing Board..................................................................................... 21
4.3.2 Walking Program ............................................................................................. 22
4.3.3 Vision Program ................................................................................................ 23
4.4 Testing the Robot.................................................................................................... 24
5 Conclusions.................................................................................................................... 26
6 Recommendations.......................................................................................................... 27
Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 28

iv
List of Figures
Figure 1: HUST Robot Club Assembled Robot ................................................................. 7
Figure 2: HUST Robot Club Second Design...................................................................... 8
Figure 3: Methodology Flowchart ...................................................................................... 9
Figure 4: Procedure of the Whole Program ...................................................................... 14
Figure 5: MG995 Motor.................................................................................................... 17
Figure 6: Esky Motor ........................................................................................................ 17
Figure 7: 13DM81 Motor ................................................................................................. 17
Figure 8: Team 5 Leg Design ........................................................................................... 18
Figure 9: Team 5 Upper Body Design.............................................................................. 20
Figure 10: The AT2440EVB-I Developing Board ........................................................... 22

v
List of Tables
Table 1: Current HUST Robot Pros and Cons.................................................................. 10

vi
1 Introduction

The study of robotics originates back to ancient Egypt where priests created

masks that moved as a way to intimidate their worshippers. Robotics, as we know it

today, originated half a century ago with the creation of a robot named “Unimate”. This

robot was created by George Devol and Joseph Engelberger. Unimate was created with

the intention of being used in industry at a General Motors plant, working with heated

die-casting machines.

In recent years the development of humanoid robots has become a larger area of

focus for the engineering community. Humanoid robots are precisely what their name

would lead you to expect, robots designed to look and act like humans. While their

current use is primarily within the entertainment industry, there are hopes that one day

they will be able to be used in a broader domain.

Modern investigations into humanoid robot development have lead to the desire

to create a robot that can not only walk from one destination to another, but also discern

objects in front of it and be able to compensate for that by moving around them. This

was where the current project came into play. The purpose of this project was to design

and build a humanoid robot that was capable of walking smoothly.

Due to constant advances in technology, humanoid robots of the future will be

capable of helping mankind by accomplishing tasks that may too dangerous, dirty, dull or

even physically impossible, such as exploring other planets. Though there is still room

for improvement for the locomotion of these robots to become more and more similar to

that of a human, the future looks bright for the development of the next generation of

humanoid robots.

1
 We created a humanoid robot with a pair of legs, a pair of arms a torso and a head,

which was able to walk in a manner similar to that of a human. The walking motion was

controlled by a program written by members of the team. For the head we used a camera

that would eventually give the robot a vision capability and complete all the attributes

required to be a “human”. Some extra capabilities that could potentially be added in the

future were making the robot be able to detect obstacles in its path, and avoid these

obstacles by finding the quickest path around that obstacle.

2
2 Background

2.1 Brief History of Robotics

According to the Webster dictionary, a robot is “a machine that looks like a

human being and performs various complex acts (as walking or talking) of a human

being.” The first place where the robot was introduced was in the play Rossums

Universal Robots (RUR) in 1921 by the Czech writer, Karel Capek. The word robot

comes from the Czech word “robota” which mean forced (compulsory) labor.

The first "modern" robot, digitally operated and teachable, was invented by

George Devol and was called the Unimate. The intention of creating Unimate was for it

to be implemented within the automotive industry as a tool that would help eliminate

some of the dangerous and strenuous work current employees were doing. The first

Unimate was personally sold by Devol to General Motors in 1960 and installed in 1961

in a plant in Trenton, New Jersey to lift hot pieces of metal from a die-casting machine

and stack them.

2.2 Definition of Humanoid Robots

When asked to envision a “robot” most people will tell you they imagine a piece

of machinery that resembles a human form. A humanoid robot can be defined as “… a

robot with its overall appearance based on that of the human body. In general humanoid

robots have a torso with a head, two arms, and two legs (although some forms of

humanoid robots may model only part of the body)… A humanoid robot is an

3
autonomous robot because it can adapt to changes in its environment or itself and

continue to reach its goal” (Science Daily: Humanoid Robot).

The torso of a humanoid robot serves two major functions. The first is that is

typically houses the central computer for the robot as well as the power, in most cases

batteries. Secondly, the torso is where the center of mass is located. This will prove to

be crucial when we are determining the placement of the power and computer in the

robot. Attached to the torso are a head, arms, and legs.

Robots can have arms for many purposes. When designing a robot whose

primary objective is walking, arms are likely not going to be needed to perform assigned

tasks. The arms instead have the potential to be used to balance the robot. If a robot is

turning, its center of gravity can be thrown off center and cause it to start to lean. The

arms can be used in order to help it regain balance.

The cameras and/or sensors used to discern objects in front of the robot are

located in the robot’s head. As with humans, robots have the capability of having their

heads be able to turn around a certain pivot point, i.e. a spine. Having the ability to

discern objects around it and not just in front of the robot will allow it to better adapt to

its surroundings. Some robots are also given the capability of showing emotions when

given extra sensors and programs to help it recognize the emotions of people it is

interacting with.

The last, and possibly most important, characteristic that helps define a humanoid

robot is legs. There are several different ways in which a robot can walk on two legs.

One method was demonstrated by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(MIT) with their robot named Toddler. The robot wobbled side-to-side with two straight

4
legs, thus giving it the name Toddler. More recently, robots have started to be created

with a greater human likeness. Legs are being created with hips, knees, and ankle joints.

With every robot, there are different methods of creating these legs based off of the task

it is designed to do. Another important aspect to consider is the shape of the foot,

particularly with regards to its interaction with the ankle joint. Some robots are created to

push off with the foot in an effort to move it forward, while others depend on the motors

in the robot’s upper leg to move it.

The mechanical aspects of the robot are a major part in defining it as a humanoid

robot; however the software is also unique. Humanoid robots are also known for being

able to interact with humans and adapt to their surroundings. They are also known for

being able to learn new material and then use it at a later date, whether it is face

recognition or potentially remembering a path previously taken.

2.3 Current Uses of Humanoid Robots

Humanoid robots are currently being implemented in a wide range of industries.

The most common place to find humanoid robots is within the entertainment industry.

One popular attraction in America that uses these robots is the Hall of Presidents at the

Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida. The hall contains robots created to

imitate past and current presidents. Their life-like appearance and mannerisms adds an

element of humanity to the attraction, while still being technologically fascinating. In

terms of a product that is available to consumers, Sony developed a robot named Qrio

which dances, runs, recognizes faces, maintains its balance, and can get up if knocked

over.

5
 In the work force humanoid robots are currently a couple popular uses that will

eventually be expanded upon. These robots are being used as receptionists in large

companies as well as some technological universities. Some of the capabilities these

robots include are greeting people as they enter, giving directions, and transferring phone

calls. Security is also a popular means by which humanoid robots are being introduced

into the work force. Tmsuk, a Japanese based company, created a robot named Robo-

Guard. Its capabilities include using an elevator, patrolling round-the-clock, replacing its

own batteries, and wielding a fire extinguisher.

Figure 11: Commercial Robot (Qrio) Figure 12: Commercial Robot (ASIMO)

2.4 HUST Robot Club’s Biped Robot

The robot designed by the Huazhong University of Science & Technology’s

(HUST) Robot Club had several limitations that became obvious when the team first

analyzed its capabilities. The most obvious limitations that stood out to us were the lack

of a torso, head, and arms. Lacking these features did not allow the robot to fit the team’s

definition of a humanoid robot. Another problematic feature of the HUST robot was the

unusual design of its feet. They were unnecessarily large and conflicted with one another

while in motion.

6
 The design was also flawed with regards to the fact that zip ties and electrical tape

were used to keep some of the motors together as well as the electrical wiring. There was

also no designated place to hold the battery and the control board, instead they were held

on top of the legs and by zip ties. Regardless of its flaws, the HUST robot was able to

walk. However the walking motion was not very steadily due to inadequate motors and a

poorly assembled structure for legs. In addition it was capable of correcting its leg

placement, i.e. made sure both legs were facing straight ahead, before it was given the

command to walk forward.

The Robot Club’s robot was also capable of carrying a heavy load and as a result

it came in first place through a series of tests at the RoboCup in this category by a wide

margin. Because the HUST robot had no upper body and hence had no sensor to sense a

white line and make a turn, it lost at this event in competition. An example of the HUST

robot can be seen below in Figure 2 and one of the designs can be seen below in Figure 3.

Figure 1: HUST Robot Club Assembled Robot

7
 Figure 2: HUST Robot Club Second Design

2.5 Future Uses of Humanoid Robots

The possibilities for the use of robots in the future might seem limited to some but

to many others, the possibilities are endless. With advances in technology every year and

current improvement being made to robotics, robots will in the future be doing more than

painting cars at Ford plants, assembling Milano cookies for Pepperidge Farms, walking

into live volcanoes, driving trains in Paris, and defusing bombs in Northern Ireland.

Robots are becoming extremely important because they will do things that we can

not do or in some cases do what we do not want to do. In the future, we may also see

robots being used for prosthetics. Both doctors and engineers, are working together to

create prosthetic limbs that use robotic mechanisms.

8
3 Methodology

The goal of our project was to create a robot that will improve upon a previously

made robot by correcting its walking movement and adding an upper body. In order to

meet this goal we will need to accomplish the following tasks:

1. Design a robot with two legs and an upper body

2. Manufacture the required parts

3. Assemble the robot

4. Create a program which will allow the robot to walk smoothly

5. Test the robot

Design

Test Manufacture

Program Assemble

Figure 3: Methodology Flowchart

3.1 Designing the Robot

Prior to designing a new robot, the team investigated other successful designs for

biped robots, primarily the design of a biped robot previously created by the Huazhong

University of Science & Technology’s (HUST) Robot Club. When analyzing the Robot

9
Club’s walking robot the team created a list of Pros and Cons with regards to the aim of

our project:

Pros Cons
Can walk on two legs Doesn’t walk smoothly or straight
Has 10 Degrees of
Has no upper body
Freedom
Shakes (Motors vibrate, screws
Corrects hip placement
loose)
Capable of turning Motors relax easily
Table 1: Current HUST Robot Pros and Cons

After creating this list we investigated another robot designed by the Robot Club

that had been disassembled. This robot was similar to the assembled robot that we first

analyzed, however it had some differences. The major differences were the placement of

the ankle motors and the orientation of the motors in the hips (see Figures 2 and 3 below).

Following the analysis of these two robots the team would need to decide what

aspects of the two robots we wanted to use again, and which aspects we would need to

redesign. Some of the major concerns with the designing of the new robot were, the

number of degrees of freedom that the legs would have, the hip joint orientation, the

ankle joint orientation, foot size and shape, and how to attach the upper body.

In addition to redesigning the robots legs the team would also need to design an

original upper body. The upper body would be required to serve two main purposes.

Firstly, the upper body would serve as a place to hold the robots power supply. Secondly,

the upper body would be used as a base for a camera to be added, if time permits, to

allow the robot to detect images, i.e. boundaries of a soccer field.

The program we decided to use to design the robot was SolidWorks. The reason

we chose this program was because the Robot Club’s designs were created in SolidWorks

10
and a few of the team members had prior experience with SolidWorks. The main

benefits of the program was that it was easy to learn for the team members who had not

had the chance to use SolidWorks and we would not be required to convert the designs

created by the Robot Club into another program.

The robot built by the Robot Club was manufactured out of steel and aluminum.

These materials were the two which the team decided to investigate using for the robot.

We also needed to investigate what motors we would use for the robot’s legs and upper

body. The design could not be finalized until we researched and chose what motors and

developing board we would use for the robot (see 3.3 Programming the Robot for more

details). One of the major concerns the team had when determining what materials we

would use for our robot was our budget. The team was originally given a budget of 1000

Yuan, however if we could justify needing more money we were allowed to present our

case to our advisors.

3.2 Manufacturing the Required Parts

Before being able to manufacture the parts the team would need for the robot, the

team had to contact the head engineer in the Engineering Training Center. Our initial

contact included asking for permission to use the lab and also having our final design

approved. After getting in contact with him the team learned correct manufacturing

techniques. These techniques included, but were not limited to, proper use of the mills,

drills, files, and saws.

In order to convert our design into a tangible product the team had to convert our

3D designs into 2D drawings. This was possible to be done in SolidWorks. The

11
drawings needed to have proper dimensions for every length, hole diameter, and material

thickness.

Most of the parts the team required had a length of either 25mm or 50mm at the

base of the part. To accommodate these dimensions the team bought two pieces of

hollowed aluminum stock which were 25mm x 50mm and 50mm x 50mm, each having a

thickness of 1.2mm and 2mm, respectively. The reasons the team chose aluminum was

because it is light, cheap, and easily found in Wuhan. The one major drawback to

choosing aluminum was that it is not very strong and easily bent.

When manufacturing the parts for the robot, we needed to follow certain steps in

order to assure the parts would be made correctly and quickly. First the team had to

measure the material and mark the dimensions of the parts we would create from that

specific piece of stock material. Once the parts were all measured the material was

sawed to get a rough shape that could later be reconstructed to make a specific element

for the robot. These pieces were then measured and sawed again to accommodate any

remaining sides that had different dimensions.

After the pieces were cut into a raw shape they were milled. This process was

done to make the parts their correct dimensions and give them flat and smooth sides.

Once the parts were milled to their correct size the 2D drawings were consulted to

determine the hole’s location and diameter. Following lines being drawn on the part, the

hole was marked for drilling. The holes were then drilled the diameter that was required

and inspected to assure the parts were high enough quality to be used in the robot. After

all the parts were manufactured and the motors were delivered the team was able to

assemble the robot.

12
3.3 Programming the Robot

The programming of this robot can be broken down into three sections, firstly the

developing board, secondly the walking program, and finally the vision program. The

main challenge that teammates were presented with when programming the robot was

learning the programs. Learning the programs included applying theory teammates had

learned in classes as well as communicating with other students who have done similar

programming, people in the Robot Club, and professors. Students also had to learn how

to use Linux and/or programming in the C language.

3.3.1 The Developing Board

When choosing a developing board, the team searched the internet to find

something that would be capable of executing the actions the team desired of our motors.

Some of the main criteria the team felt were necessary for the developing board were size,

features, how recent the technology was, and if it would have the capabilities to

eventually add more advanced features in the future.

3.3.2 Walking Program

The walking program for the robot was intended to have all fifteen motors

working simultaneously to allow the robot to walk. The main walking program would

coordinate the walking motion of the legs with the movement of the arms in order to

better allow it to maintain its balance. Another aspect of the walking program was

allowing the robot to correct its hip placement before walking. This was all written in the

C programming language and controlled by the developing board.

13
3.3.3 Vision Program

The main function of the vision program is to take the images the camera gathers

and processing them. The key to this aspect of the robot is having the correct type of

camera. The camera must be able to communicate with our developing board and

outputs uncompressed data. Having the camera output uncompressed data will make it

easier to program. Some other functions that will be essential are speed of the image

processing and accuracy of the camera. For help with learning to program two professors

in the Image Center were consulted as well as a member of the Robot Club who had

previously done this sort of image processing.

The final program is intended to resemble the following diagram, incorporating

both the walking and the image processing:

Figure 4: Procedure of the Whole Program

14
3.4 Testing the Robot

After designing, manufacturing, assembling, and programming the robot, the final

product needed to be tested. The team decided to set some standards in order to

determine what would qualify as a successfully completed robot and a robot that would

require more work. The major standards are as follows:

1. Does the robot maintain its balance?

2. Do the motors all function simultaneously?

3. Does the robot walk smoothly?

4. Does the upper body move?

5. Does the camera move?

If the robot achieved the first three goals it would be considered a successfully

completed robot. These goals were set forth at the beginning of the project in order to

give the team a base goal to achieve. The fourth and fifth goals were set in place as a

higher goal that the team would strive for in order to take the project above and beyond

its expected limitations. If the fourth and fifth steps were completed the robot was

considered beyond successful.

15
4 Results and Analysis

4.1 Designing the Robot

The design for the team’s robot was generally based off those of the Robot Club.

Based off the two main designs we investigated, the HUST assembled robot and second

design, the team took the best features of leg and compiled them into one design that

maximized both of their potentials.

4.1.1 Designing the Legs

From the HUST assembled robot the team used the hip placement of the legs as

well as the visual appeal of grouping two motors to serve as the thigh and knee and two

of the motors grouped to serve as the ankle. As for the second HUST robot design, the

aspects the team was interested in using were the feet, and ankle combination, the top

plate that allowed for an upper body to be attached as well as giving somewhere to place

the battery, and the overall streamlined, almost human-like, look of the legs.

Before we were able to design the legs we had to order motors in order to get their

dimensions so we could make our model accurate. After searching on the internet the

team came up with three options for motors. The first motor was a MG995 (Figure 5).

The MG995 had a torsion force of 13kg-cm, had the dimensions of 40mm x 20mm x

36.5mm, and the cost was 53 Yuan/motor. The second motor was an Esky (Figure 6).

The Esky had a torsion force of 3.2 kg-cm, dimensions of 40.4mm x 19.8mm x 36mm,

and the cost was 45 Yuan/motor. The third motor was a 13DM81 (Figure 7). The

13DM81 had a torsion force of 13kg-cm, dimensions of 41mm x 20mm x 36mm, and the

16
cost was 450 Yuan/motor. The team decided to chose the MG995 because it had the

largest torsion force for the lowest price.

Figure 5: MG995 Motor

Figure 6: Esky Motor

Figure 7: 13DM81 Motor

17
 With these considerations in mind the team started to design their own legs. In

order to maximize the time the team had to create this robot the team members in charge

of designing decided to recycle most of the parts that the Robot Club had designed in

SolidWorks for their robot. The team designed one leg in about 2 days. The design

consisted of two motors attached to each other at the base in order to create the hip and

knee joints of the thigh. The motor on top was put in place in order to compensate for the

forward and backward motion of the hip. The “thigh” was attached to another motor

whose orientation was upside down in order to resemble the shin and ankle. This motor

was to be used for the forward and back motion of the foot. Below that there was another

motor given a horizontal orientation in order to allow the feet to have a perpendicular

degree of freedom as well. See Figure 8 below for a SolidWorks image of the leg design.

Figure 8: Team 5 Leg Design

18
4.1.2 Designing the Upper Body

For the upper body, the team decided that rather than use the Robot Club’s design

for an upper body as the basis for the team’s design they would create their own design.

In order to compensate for the upper body being able to move from side to side, like a

human, the plate designated to serve as the torso for the robot would have a shape similar

to that of home plate on a baseball field. This shape allowed the robot to not only have

it’s torso move, but it also mad the upper body more firm. Next to be designed was the

arms. As the team currently does not have any specific tasks for the arms to complete,

the arms were designed to have the basic function of moving up and down at the shoulder

and elbow joints. In order to make the arms look more human-like the robot was given

“hands”. The head of the robot would be the camera which would be used to detect white

line boundaries on a soccer field.

In addition to the torso and arms, the team also had to design a part to hold

together the upper body and the legs. This part would also encase the motors that served

as the horizontal rotation for the hips. It also served as a platform to hold the developing

board and battery. See Figure 9 below for the SolidWorks image of the upper body

design.

19
 Figure 9: Team 5 Upper Body Design

4.2 Manufacturing the Required Parts

When manufacturing the parts for the robot the team ran into two major areas of

concern. The first area was that the milling and drilling machines were manual, so even

after being measured twice there was room for human error. For example, when milling

the parts to the desired dimensions, there were a few parts that were milled to a width that

was between 1mm and 3mm smaller than the needed size. This meant that some parts

had to be made more than once.

The major problem the team ran into was the realization that some of the parts the

Robot Club had created were good in theory, however when they were actually

manufactured their quality was less than desirable. The main issue with these parts was

that several holes were only 1mm apart, which did not leave any room for error. Also,

aluminum, not being a very strong material, would bend and break if there was not

20
enough of a clearance between the two holes. This meant several parts had to be

redesigned and remanufactured. As a result of this, the team did not have enough

material to make the torso of the robot out of aluminum, so it was manufactured in a

polycarbonate resin plastic, similar to Lexan. This task set the team’s schedule back half

a week.

Assembling the robot also had its challenges. The team purchased screws and

nuts after the first design of the robot. These screws and bolts were purchased in 3

different sizes. It was quickly observed that the number of screws purchased were not

enough to finish the assembly, so the team had to purchase more, which set the schedule

back another half day. There were also some parts that the robot required that were

borrowed from the Robot Club because they were either expensive or not readily

available in the market.

4.3 Programming the Robot

4.3.1 The Developing Board

After doing much research on the internet the team decided to purchase an

AT2440EVB-I board (See Figure 10). This board was chosen because:

• It contains a Samsung s3c2440 Micro Processing Unit (MPU) which uses an

ARM920T core. This means it is a current advanced embedded technology.

• It has the USB interface to support the camera and also 44 extra General Purpose

Input/Output (GPIO) ports to support the motor control.

21
 • It has audio, video, internet, BUS, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Universal

Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART), and other sufficient resources to

support future development of the robot.

• It is the smallest board compared to other boards that have the same character

performance.

Figure 10: The AT2440EVB-I Developing Board

4.3.2 Walking Program

The walking program took several attempts to complete, however given the

limited time the final product was satisfactory. The first attempt to create the walking

program was very unsuccessful. The motors did not respond to the program. Following

some adjustment to the program, the motors actually worked in the reverse. This

malfunction caused the team to question whether or not the program was written

correctly.

22
 In order to determine whether or not the program was the problem or if it was

something external, like the motors or developing board, the team consulted a member of

the HUST Robot Club. This person informed the team that the program was written

correctly and the potential error could be in the motors. This caused the team to

disassemble the entire robot to exchange the motors for ones that the member of the

Robot Club said would work with the team’s program. Once the motors were exchanged

the program was again tested and still did not work.

These setbacks lead the team to believe that they would not be able to finish the

walking program. This fear was crushed when, after some more adjustments to the

program, the robot began to move. The robot did not walk as the team had hoped, but it

was moving. The team then sat down to adjust the program in order to make the robot

walk.

The first program which allowed the robot to walk had a few problems. The first

problem was that the robot did not maintain its balance and needed to be guided by the

operator’s hand in order to assure it did not topple over on itself. The program had the

arms attempting to coordinate with the legs in order to help it walk in a fashion matching

that of a human; however, the two motions were not coordinated as well as anticipated.

The second, and final, attempt at programming the robot was more successful. The robot

maintained its balance and walked, however its movements were very rapid. Due to a

lack of time that program was the final product that was demonstrated.

4.3.3 Vision Program

The vision program was completed after much trial and error. The first concern

the team had was which camera to use. The first camera the team purchased was not the

23
correct type of camera and would not output the data in a form that the developing board

required. After consulting with a graduate student who had done a lot of work in this

field it was determined that the team needed to purchase a new camera. The second

camera was a much better product for the task we wanted it to accomplish. The program

was able to be written with assistance from professors in the Image Center as well as the

company through which the camera was bought.

The total vision program was broken down into two major parts: the data

receiving program and the image processing program. The data receiving program was

created to do exactly what it would appear to, receive data from the camera. It could

receive an image picture by picture, potentially allowing our robot to respond to a

boundary in time. Its disadvantage was the impossibility to present the stable image.

The image processing program was broken down into five steps: get the array data, clear

the image, transfer from colorful image into monochromatic one, provide a HIGH or

LOW value to every unit of the image, and detect the line by ratio of HIGH value (large

ratio if distance is close enough). What this meant is that the image is taken from a color

image and turned into a black and white one. The program then analyzes the picture by

breaking it up into smaller parts and determining if they are black or white. The program

then counts the height and width of the number of consecutive white pieces and if the

number is high enough the robot will know to either turn around or stop.

4.4 Testing the Robot

Once the robot was assembled and programmed it could finally be tested. The

standards the team set forth to determine whether or not the robot was successful were as

follows:

24
 1. Does the robot maintain its balance?

2. Do the motors all function simultaneously?

3. Does the robot walk smoothly?

4. Does the upper body move?

5. Does the camera move?

Following the analysis or the robot, it was determined that the robot did: 1.

Maintain its balance, 2. have motors that functioned simultaneously, 3. The robot walked

relatively smoothly, however very rapidly, 4. The robot’s upper body moves in order to

allow it to maintain it’s balance as well as letting it appear more like a human.

Regardless of the fact the camera was not attached, the project was considered a success

because the robot walked, which was the initial purpose of our project.

25
5 Conclusions

This team was charged with the task of creating a humanoid robot that would

improve on the currently designed and created robot built by the Huazhong University of

Science and Technology (HUST) Robot Club’s robot. Some of these improvements were

to include adding an upper body and improving the walking motion of the robot.

After over four months of hard work researching, preparing, and completing this

project, the team was able to put together a final product that achieved several important

aspects of the goal that the team set. When the final product was completed, the body

had two legs, a torso, a head, and arms. This allowed the robot to have an appearance

similar to that of a human.

The programming and walking of the robot proved to be more difficult. The team

had little prior programming experience which led to some of our major problems when

the team was creating brand new programs for the robot. The final walking program

allowed the robot to move in a fashion similar to that of a human, however its movements

were very rapid and not 100% accurate. The vision program was completed with a little

more success; however the program was not translated in order to allow it to be applied to

the robot.

26
6 Recommendations

Following the determination of the projects success, the team brainstormed ways

in which the project could be improved in future years. As previously mentioned, the

ideal use of this robot was to compete in robotic soccer matches. In order for it to

compete in these competitions the robot will need to be modified in three major ways.

The first major modification that the robot would require would be the addition of

the actual camera onto the robot. Once the camera is securely mounted to the robot, it

will become one step closer to competing in robotic soccer competitions. In addition to

mounting the camera, the program for the camera needs to be converted into a language

that the developing board supports. Another potential program that could be added to the

robot was one that allowed the robot to recognize the ball.

After completing the aforementioned tasks, the robot’s walking program would

need to be adjusted in order to allow it to turn around as well as kick the ball. The

turning program would run when the robot detected a white line meeting a certain criteria

with regards to length and width. When kicking the ball, the robot would need to

maintain its balance on one foot and at the same time swing the other foot, allowing it to

kick the ball. By combining these walking programs and the vision program, the robot

will be able to play soccer in a fashion physically similar to that of a human.

27
Bibliography

(2007) Robot History. Retrieved March 20, 2007, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot#History

Tesler, P. (2005) Universal Robots: the history and workings of robotics. Retrieved
March 20, 2007, from The Tech Museum of Information Website:
http://www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/robotics/universal/index.html

Currie, A. (1999) The History of Robotics. Retrieved March 20, 2007, from The History
of Robotics. Website: http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~currie/roboadam.htm

(1995) Humanoid Robot. Retrieved April 1, 2007, from Science Daily Website:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/Humanoid_robot/

Jones, A (2002) A Real Life RoboCop?. Retrieved March 20, 2007, from Prison Planet
Website: http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2004/100704realliferobocop.htm

Ichbiah, Daniel. (2005). Robots: From Science Fiction to Technological Revolution. New
York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

28