CB: Exploring neuroscience with a humanoid research platform

In this video presentation we introduce a 50 degrees of freedom humanoid robot, CB - Computational Brain [1]. CB is a humanoid robot created for exploring the underlying processing of the human brain while dealing with the real world. We place our investigations within real world contexts, as humans do. In so doing, we focus on utilising a system that is closer to humans - in sensing, kinematics configuration and performance. We present a full-body compliance controller that was developed for the motion control of our humanoid robot [2]. Our initial experimentation on our system includes: 1) full-body compliant control - physical interactions/balancing/motion control; 2) the integrated visual ocular-motor responses; 3) perception and control - reaching, foveation, and active object recognition; 4) our studies of Central Pattern Generator for walking.

[1]  Gordon Cheng,et al.  Foveated vision systems with two cameras per eye , 2006, Proceedings 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2006. ICRA 2006..

[2]  Ales Ude,et al.  Programming full-body movements for humanoid robots by observation , 2004, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[3]  Jun Morimoto,et al.  Modulation of simple sinusoidal patterns by a coupled oscillator model for biped walking , 2006, Proceedings 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2006. ICRA 2006..

[4]  Mitsuo Kawato,et al.  From ‘Understanding the Brain by Creating the Brain’ towards manipulative neuroscience , 2008, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[5]  Gordon Cheng,et al.  Gravity Compensation and Full-Body Balancing for Humanoid Robots , 2006, 2006 6th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots.

[6]  Jun Morimoto,et al.  CB: A Humanoid Research Platform for Exploring NeuroScience , 2006, 2006 6th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots.

[7]  CHRIS GASKETT,et al.  Hand-Eye Coordination through Endpoint Closed-Loop and Learned Endpoint Open-Loop Visual Servo Control , 2005, Int. J. Humanoid Robotics.