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A Minimally Designed Audio-Animatronic Robot | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

A Minimally Designed Audio-Animatronic Robot


Abstract:

Animatronic robots that simulate the lively and realistic motions of creatures can be excellent robotic platforms for social interaction with people. In particular, the r...Show More

Abstract:

Animatronic robots that simulate the lively and realistic motions of creatures can be excellent robotic platforms for social interaction with people. In particular, the robot head is a very important part of expressing various emotions and generating human-friendly and aesthetic impressions. This article presents Ray, a new type of audio-animatronic robot head. All the mechanical structure of the robot is built in one step by 3-D printing and has multiple layers expressing the overall shape of a human head and important features such as eyes, nose, mouth, and chin. This simple, lightweight structure and the separatetendon-based actuation system underneath allow for smooth, fast motions of the robot. We also develop an audio-driven motion generation module that automatically synthesizes natural and rhythmic motions of the head and mouth based on the given audio. The developed robot platform is used for various applications, for example, as a talking robot, robot singer, and robot MC. We expect this research opens up a new paradigm and application possibilities for minimally designed audio-animatronic robots.
Published in: IEEE Transactions on Robotics ( Volume: 40)
Page(s): 3181 - 3198
Date of Publication: 06 June 2024

ISSN Information:

Funding Agency:

Author image of Kyu Min Park
Department of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea
Kyu Min Park received the B.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering, in 2016 and 2022, respectively, from Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, in 2022 and 2023. He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Depa...Show More
Kyu Min Park received the B.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering, in 2016 and 2022, respectively, from Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, in 2022 and 2023. He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Depa...View more
Author image of Jeongah Cheon
Seon ENS, Seoul, South Korea
Jeongah Cheon received the B.S. degree in electronic and IT media engineering in 2023 from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea.
She was an Intern Researcher with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, in 2023. She is currently a Research Scientist with Seon ENS, Seoul. Her research interests include robotics, human–rob...Show More
Jeongah Cheon received the B.S. degree in electronic and IT media engineering in 2023 from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea.
She was an Intern Researcher with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, in 2023. She is currently a Research Scientist with Seon ENS, Seoul. Her research interests include robotics, human–rob...View more
Author image of Sehyuk Yim
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea
Sehyuk Yim received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and the B.S. degree in electronic engineering in 2007, and the M.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2009, from Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea, and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, in 2012.
He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Mechanical Engineering Department, Massachusetts I...Show More
Sehyuk Yim received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and the B.S. degree in electronic engineering in 2007, and the M.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2009, from Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea, and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, in 2012.
He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Mechanical Engineering Department, Massachusetts I...View more

Author image of Kyu Min Park
Department of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea
Kyu Min Park received the B.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering, in 2016 and 2022, respectively, from Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, in 2022 and 2023. He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Sejong University, Seoul. His research interests include physical human–robot interaction, interactive motion generation, robot modeling, and learning-based methods for robotics.
Kyu Min Park received the B.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering, in 2016 and 2022, respectively, from Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, in 2022 and 2023. He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Sejong University, Seoul. His research interests include physical human–robot interaction, interactive motion generation, robot modeling, and learning-based methods for robotics.View more
Author image of Jeongah Cheon
Seon ENS, Seoul, South Korea
Jeongah Cheon received the B.S. degree in electronic and IT media engineering in 2023 from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea.
She was an Intern Researcher with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, in 2023. She is currently a Research Scientist with Seon ENS, Seoul. Her research interests include robotics, human–robot interaction, and signal processing.
Jeongah Cheon received the B.S. degree in electronic and IT media engineering in 2023 from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea.
She was an Intern Researcher with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, in 2023. She is currently a Research Scientist with Seon ENS, Seoul. Her research interests include robotics, human–robot interaction, and signal processing.View more
Author image of Sehyuk Yim
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea
Sehyuk Yim received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and the B.S. degree in electronic engineering in 2007, and the M.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2009, from Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea, and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, in 2012.
He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Mechanical Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA, in 2014 and 2015. Currently, he is a Principal Research Scientist leading the Delight Robotics lab with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute of Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul. His research interests include how to create, augment, and interpret the sensori-emotional interaction between humans and robots using intelligent machines and convergence media, which include physical intelligence (bioinspired soft or functional materials, mechanically programmed smart structures, magnetic or structural self-assembly), novel actuation principles (electromagnetic actuation, hydraulic or pneumatic force transmission, shape-memory actuation), and advanced manufacturing methods (resin molding, additive manufacturing, printing, 3-D folding).
Sehyuk Yim received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and the B.S. degree in electronic engineering in 2007, and the M.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2009, from Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea, and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, in 2012.
He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Mechanical Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA, in 2014 and 2015. Currently, he is a Principal Research Scientist leading the Delight Robotics lab with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute of Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul. His research interests include how to create, augment, and interpret the sensori-emotional interaction between humans and robots using intelligent machines and convergence media, which include physical intelligence (bioinspired soft or functional materials, mechanically programmed smart structures, magnetic or structural self-assembly), novel actuation principles (electromagnetic actuation, hydraulic or pneumatic force transmission, shape-memory actuation), and advanced manufacturing methods (resin molding, additive manufacturing, printing, 3-D folding).View more

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