MOME Robotics studio / Reflective Robotics | Blog Large Image Whole Post

robotics, MOME, co-design, co-Ability, Arduino, reflective robotics, Aalborg university, digital craft,

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02 April 2024 By Renata Dezso In STUDENT

VILMa – Voice Led Interactive Machine

By Amália Gerstenkorn, Marton Hunyadi and Sidse Rebien

Our soft robot VILMa is a Voice Led Interactive Machine that reacts to the surrounding sounds. When VILMa is moving around it leaves a trail of paint to visualize its movement. The two DC motors react independently to each other. The motors create vibration, and the robot moves with its shaking bristles. We chose an audio channel for the communication act but instead of giving direct instructions our robot is reacting to the noise frequencies. One motor reacts on high frequencies while the other reacts on low frequencies which makes it possible to control VILMa’s movement. The initial concept of this reflective robot was to make an emphatic machine that mirrors the emotions and noise of the surrounding humans.

VILMa consists of 3D printed parts and an Arduino that is connected to a computer that contains our programming in Touchdesigner. The parts are modular and can be switched around if needed. In our process, we experimented with different shapes of the bridge between the elements. We have also studied how weight and balance can affect the motion of our robot. In the future we would like to make the robot completely independent from other devices, so it can move around wireless only with the use of an Arduino, a microphone, and a battery.

22 February 2024 By Renata Dezso In STUDENT

The Foolish Ship

In this workshop, the main method of movement is through vibrations. A method that produces chaotic and uncontrollable movement. The foolish ship stems from a desire to control the uncontrollable. By directing the vibration to one of its sides, it can turn to that side. The foolish ship, like a normal ship, is trying to navigate through an uncertain environment. There is a need for a captain on a ship, else it will never find land. The ship is controlled through a controller connected to Touch Designer, which then connects to the Arduino through a wifi connection. The ships feet are made of copper and are bend in a way to ensure that the ship moves forward when the vibrations are equal. The foolish ship takes unpredictable methods and executes them with precision.

The main goal of ours was to explore different forms of movement and to make something controllable. Through experimentation we found that by angeling brushes we could control the way they would move, when applying pressure to it. So we decided to use a vibrating force to apply that pressure constantly.

We had trouble to figuring out how to make it turn, we tried to move the center of mass, we tried to make a rudder behind it. But we found that putting a vibrating motor on each side of it gave the most control and was most reliable.

We used TouchDesigner to make it run on a decentralized wifi network so that it could be controlled virtually. Furthermore, we connected a controller through Bluetooth to control the inputs in TouchDesigner.

The Foolish Ship was made by:

Alex Pocsi
Lorinc Nyulasz
Noora Sommer

After testing more, we found that stability and for the eletronics to be fastened, to be the the most important aspects. So a 3d model was created to fulfill both of those requirements.

21 February 2024 By Renata Dezso In STUDENT

Batoid Stingray Robot: Biomimetic Soft Robot with Gesture Control

Batoid: Biomimetic Soft Robot with Gesture Control

“Batoid” is a biomimetic soft robot inspired by the fluid movement of stingrays, featuring a flexible 3D printed mesh structure. It mimics stingray propulsion using servo motors and a ball mechanism actuated with gesture-based control. This robot was created during the Course Week at MOME, Budapest, in February 2024 by Camille Vad, Lola Orban, Viktoria Biki.

The Concept

Our aim was to design a soft robot that replicates the movement of batoids, a group of sea creatures that includes stingrays. These creatures are characterized by their flat bodies, large pectoral fins, and a flexible skeleton made of strong, elastic cartilage, which aids in their body’s bending and movement.

The Robot

The structure of the robot is crafted from a 3d printed circle fabric mesh, allowing the Stingray’s body to be lightweight and highly flexible, enabling smooth movements over the surface.

Stingrays execute their propelling motion using the pectoral fins positioned at their sides. Two balls are connected to two servo motors on the sides of the mesh to make it move. The movement of the mesh is safeguarded by the rolling motion of a number of balls that rotate inside the bowls. The motors are actuated with gestures through computer vision connected with the help of Arduino to TouchDesigner visual controller.

Interactions

Stingrays typically prefer not to be touched. Their skin is susceptible, and they often interpret touch as a potential threat or an act of aggression. There are instances where they might react defensively if they sense danger. This is why we chose a touchless type of interaction with gestures. The Batiod is controlled via hand gestures which get recognized through computer vision in Touchdesigner. This enables registering different types of hand gestures by mapping the hands with the computer’s webcam. For our batoid we decided it would be controlled by holding up your left palm activates the left side motor and holding up the right palm activates the right side motor. This ensures easy control because to stop the motors, you simply close one hand or both into a fist in front of the computer’s webcam so that it no longer recognizes the palm of a hand.

Team: Camille Vad, Lola Orban, Viktoria Biki.

MOME, Budapest, February 2024.

21 February 2024 By Renata Dezso In STUDENT

Project Octofun

Reflective robotics and connectivity

Project Octofun aims to create a playful and fun interaction between a physical object and the audience. By creating an object that seems to almost have its own personality, the audience gets the chance to form a connection with the octobots through motion. When controlled by the audience, the octobots collectively spin around a designated area. The collective movement almost looks like a dance, where each octobot shows its personality through the spinning motion. Although they are all controlled by the same type of movement, they move around differently, based on their individual shape and design. This creates a collaborative dance through collective movement and audience interaction.

Meet the Octobots

Jeremy

Jeremy was the first octobot created as a part of the project at MOME. He is comprised of three simple parts:

The bottom brissels, which ensure smooth movement on a flat surface, the octopus like legs, which create a fun movement and unpredictable spinning, and lastly the DC motor which spins the octobot.

Oliver

Oliver shares many characteristics with his fellow Octobot Jeremy. Mainly their technical build and shape, which are largely the same. The biggest difference between the two is the octopus like arms. Olivers are slightly longer, and therefore changes the way he moves differently. In addition to this, he also has a slightly different DC motor.

The Creative Process

Project Octofun was developed as part of an international collaboration, between students from both MOME in Budapest Hungary, and Aalborg University in Denmark. The course challenged students to work together to create a reflective robot, with focus on connectivity.

During this project, we used our different educational backgrounds to work together to create an interactive robot. The robot runs on an Arduino board connected to a computer, where data gets processed within the Arduino IDE, and transferred to Touch Designer through serial communication. The idea originated in the desire to create a project that would be fun to both create and interact with through play. We wanted to create a connection between the audience and the robots, by encouraging them to be curious, and explore the functionality of the octobots through play.

Each octobot can be controlled via a leap motion detector. This device allows the audience to control the speed at which the octobots turn, by moving their hands closer or further away from the leap. The right and left hand control each their octobot. This gives the audience full control play with the robots alone, or in pairs.

Project Octofun in Action

21 February 2024 By Renata Dezso In MOME_Workshop

Reflective practitioner or active practitioner?

The main goal of MOME’s one week long workshop titled “Reflective Robotics & Connectivity”, which was inherently a preview of the semester long KFI course, was to teach the students to be in a position of a reflective practitioner in digital object design and technology.

Both the Hungarian and the international students from the Danish Aalborg University came in with a wide range of knowledge in robotic programming and digital crafting so their approach was intended to face new challenges.

The philosophical term stems from Donald A. Schon specifically from his book called Reflective Practitioner where he explains further the professional’s critical attitude towards its own craft resulting in self-development.

According to Dr. Renata Dezso, who is one of the teachers of the course, during reflective work we embody a never ending attitude to learning and experimenting, where we constantly review our efforts while we create to improve our craft.

Working together in these complex networks of technology, material, students and knowledge in a specific laboratory-like environment, testing and prototyping, is not an easy ride. Even though it becomes a strenuous experience only finding microsolutions, it also helps the learning process by making us fail more so we can accummulate a wider range of knowledge.

The workshop used a decentralized, creative approach based on group work and group knowledge, thus demonstrating a multidisciplinary path to robotics and creating in general, emphasizing the fact that the robotic crafting is uncertain due to its great complexity. Furthermore the course sets us up to teamwork rather than working as individuals since the future holds a collaboration based method to knowledge and creating to keep up with the fast pace of technological development.

Key words

Reflective practitioner, active practitioner, reflective robotics, connectivity, reflection-in-action, microsolutions, decentralized creative approach

21 February 2024 By Renata Dezso In MOME_Workshop

Dr. Stephen Wilson, 2014: Transpersonal: Elizabeth Jochum, ICA, Photo credit: Bjarne Stëhr, Fremtiden, 2014

Somaesthetics: The connection between the human body and robotics through the medium of somatic excersises

For the one week long workshop Dr. Elizabeth Jochum led the group in somatic imaginative mind and body movement exercises, almost like meditations, to easily understand the relationship between movement and perception, and the human body’s vital role in crafting robots.

As she explained we explored the body from bottom-up, inside-out and outside-in viewpoints. We did exercises where we focused on our breathing, and on how to actuate movement that expresses balance. We experimented with fabrics and rod puppets animating them and giving them these basic creaturely behaviors. These games gave us a sense of understanding based on where we are in space, by the help of theatrical and improvisational methods. Thanks to these simple to comprehend but super thoughtful exercises, we understood the constant movement of the human body. It also reflected on the complex body movements correlating with soft robots where every movement can be and will be multifunctioning in interaction with the environment, like in many sentient bodies.

Dr. Jochum also pointed out the importance of corporal perception, or kinesthetic empathy, which basically means that when you watch people moving you always engage with them even unconsciously.. That in progress becomes a tool for understanding somatic acting-doing movements in robotics, ending up in a supernatural or almost unexplainable manner.

These activities got us ready to welcome and acknowledge the workshop’s purpose which lies in a problem seeking attitude, rather than in finding the perfect answers. Pushing us towards greater discoveries and seeking a reflecting-in-action attitude in our craft making.

Key words: Somaesthetics, somatic-imaginative mind and body movements, multifunction, corporal/kinesthetic empathy

22 April 2023 By Renata Dezso In NEWS

Prototyping Paper Publication

Prototypes as a Structured Information Source in Theory Nexus

ABSTRACT

In this paper, I analyse the role of prosthetic prototypes developed during my doctoral research (completed in 2022), generating critical thoughts and new insights into our value system as it relates to human-centred societal challenges. The investigation settled in the experimental approach of Research through Design alongside a qualitative case study combined with the power of critical disability studies to advance space for understanding relationships between phenomena and theory. To focus on the central questions from a particular single case study project, I worked with Luca Szabados (a highly creative independent artist with a congenital disability) to craft a prosthesis using digital technology. The role of prototypes in the research not only encompasses the experimental and physical nature of the study but also creates links in the chain of knowledge development and carries evidence data. The prosthetic prototypes guided reflections on humancentred societal challenges as a non-verbal modelling media. The tangible material nature of the prototypes provides the possibility of operating with a set of ‘boundary objects’ within discussions that include the enactment of latent perspectives. The prosthetic prototypes encode a tangible chain of thoughts as a result of the design synthesis of knowledge and research questions with the central links of the method. The data of the artefacts construct the evidentiary values of the research and enable an exploration of philosophical and strategic approaches to co-Ability. The term ‘co-Ability’ is rooted in the critical approach of posthuman disability studies. It serves as a broad umbrella term under which we can reconsider the potentials of various entities (biological and artificial) that enhance the shared competencies of those entities rather than dwell on the oppressive nature of human-centred norms. In this research, the discursive prosthetic prototypes thus carry a profound and integrative argument that significantly connects with the general viewer and represents the theory development.

Read the full paper here

Dezso, R., 2023. Prototypes as a Structured Information Source in Theory Nexus, in: From Abstractness to Concreteness – Experiential Knowledge and the Role of Prototypes in Design Research. Presented at the International Conference 2023 of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG), Politecnico di MIlano, Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano, Italy, pp. 470–489.