Luftzeichnen mit Motion Capture. Man kann ganz einfach ein Objekt in die Luft zeichnen. Über Motion Capturing erfasst der Computer die Bewegungen und macht 3D Objekte daraus. Die kann man dann mit dem 3D-Printer des FabLab ausdrucken.
Auf sehr interessante Weise hat dies Front Design aus Schweden realisiert:
Motion Capture is a technique that translates motions into 3D-files. Motion capture is mostly used for animations in movies and computer games. Front have used the technique to simply record the tip of a pen when they draw pieces of furniture in the air.
Rapid Prototyping is a technique that materialises 3D-files. A laser beam builds the 3D-file layer by layer within a liquid plastic material. Every 0.1mm the liquid harden by a laser beam. After a few hours, the 3D-files come out as materialised pieces.
The Sketch Furniture project in Japan is made in collaboration with Barry Friedman Ltd. Tokyo Wonder Site Aoyama and Crescent.
In January 2008, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. unveiled Takahashi's 4.5oz., 6.7in. robot mascot for the Evolta line of alkaline batteries.The Evolta robot attempted to climb a rope from the bottom to the top of the Grand Canyon. The first try, on May 22, 2008, Evolta's foot was malfunctioning and was not able to climb up any higher. The second try, on May 23, it stopped at around 100 meters due to rough weather including hail. Then on the third try, on May 24, Evolta managed to climb up all the way reaching 530 meters in 6 hours 46 minutes, using only a pair of AA alkaline Evolta batteries.
Evolta has been designed by Tomotaka Takahashi. who has also designed famous robots like Chroino, FT, Manoi.
On June 25 2007, researchers at the Chiba Institute of Technology unveiled a working prototype of the Halluc II, a robotic vehicle with eight wheels and legs designed to drive or walk over rugged terrain. The agile robot, which the developers aim to put into practical use within the next five years, can move sideways, turn around in place and drive or walk over a wide range of obstacles. The researchers hope the robot’s abilities will help out with rescue operations, and they would like to see Halluc II’s technology put to use in transportation for the mobility-impaired.
The operator can put Halluc II into one of three modes depending on the terrain — Vehicle, Insect or Animal mode. In Vehicle mode, Halluc II drives around on its eight wheels, and as it moves over uneven surfaces, each of the legs moves up and down in sync with the terrain to provide a smooth ride that keeps the cab at a constant height. In Insect mode, Halluc II does not use the wheels; instead, it walks with an insect-like gait, with its legs extended outward from the cab. In Animal mode, Halluc II keeps its legs directly beneath the cab while it walks, allowing it to pass through tight spaces. With wireless LAN capabilities and a system of cameras and sensors that monitor the distance to potential obstacles, Halluc II constantly assesses how best to adjust the position of its legs and wheels.
Halluc II’s design calls for a total of 56 motors — 2 for each leg joint (3 joints per leg), plus 1 for each wheel. Equipping each joint with 2 motors provides the legs with abundant power and allows for a smoother ride, say the researchers, who have devoted a great deal of attention to the cutting-edge multi-motor control system, a key component of Halluc II’s design.
According to Mr. Yoshida, chief researcher at Chiba Institute of Technology’s Future Robotics Technology Center (fuRo), the expensive price tag of high-precision motors poses some challenges, but as costs come down in the future, it will become easier to incorporate greater numbers of motors into drive systems. Halluc II appears to be a more advanced version of fuRo’s 8-wheeled Hallucigenia01 robot created in 2003.
In designing Halluc II, the researchers have enlisted the help of renowned industrial designer Shunji Yamanaka, who has worked on everything from furniture and watches to robots and transportation. “Human beings have a large number of muscles, which allows for a great degree of freedom,” says Yamanaka. “By incorporating greater redundancy into the vehicle’s functions, we can give it more flexibility and speed and enable it to continue operating even when obstacles are in the way.”
The Halluc II prototype is scheduled to go on display at Miraikan in Tokyo beginning August 1. At the exhibit, visitors will be allowed to operate the vehicle from a remote-control cockpit with a large screen showing real-time video shot from the onboard camera.
Future Robotics Technology Center (fuRo) of Chiba Institute of Technology and Leading Edge Design (L.E.D.) have jointly developed Halluc II, an eight-legged robot that moves with the wheels provided at the tip of the legs.
In addition to the running mode based on the rotation of the wheels, Halluc II also allows a walking mode. In that mode, it moves by using its legs, each of which has seven motors. It is the successor to Hallucigenia 01, which was developed in December 2003.
In addition to a motor to rotate the wheel, six motors to drive the joints are provided in each leg (multijoint wheel module) of Halluc II. The layout of the six motors consist of one for pivotal motion and two for bending and stretching located in a portion corresponding to the hip joint, two for bending and stretching in knee joint, and one for pivotal motion in ankle.
Various waking modes are enabled through the cooperation of these motors. In the running mode using the wheels, the robot can move back and forth, from side to side, whirl on the spot, and climb the steps with the top and bottom positions of the body maintained.
In the walking mode where the robot moves by alternately pushing forward half of the legs provided on each side, the movements are roughly classified into two methods.
One is a high-speed moving method in which the robot stretches out its legs and moves them by the pivotal motion of the hip joints as in the case of insects.
The other is a method where the robot walks by bending and stretching the hip and knee joints as in the case of four-legged animals. The latter method is suitable for moving in narrow spaces.
One of the Halluc II features is that two motors are provided in the joint for bending and stretching. Consequently, three effects are achieved as follows.
(1) The gear backlash in the joint can be minimized by controlling the rotation direction and phase, thereby enabling a high-precision control. (2) High power output required, for example, when going up slopes, etc. can be ensured by rotating the two motors in the same direction.
(3) The responsiveness required when inverting the motion can be increased by moving one of the motors in advance of the other.
Halluc II measures 805 mm and weighs 20 kg. The maximum hill-climbing angle and height are 40° and 125 mm, respectively (the maximum body lifting height: 90 mm). The joints are equipped with angular sensors (48 units in total) and encoders (8 units in total).
Further, a total of 13 distance sensors are located on the bottom and side faces of the body. Two laser range sensors are provided to detect the direction of and distance to the obstacle while one triaxial inclination sensor is attached to detect the posture of the body.
