TEDx Talks· Dec 15, 2009
TEDxNASA - Dennis Hong - 11/20/09
Dennis Hong, director of RoMeLa at Virginia Tech, presents TEDxNASA on mobile robots, their design principles, and how his lab develops ideas.
ROBOTIS Humanoid robot, DARwIn-OP - Presentation by Dr. Dennis Hong (VA Tech)
Dr. Dennis Hong of Virginia Tech presents the DARwIn-OP humanoid robot, its development and research goals, alongside collaborators at Purdue, the University of Pennsylvania, and ROBOTIS.
In this talk
- 0:34
From early prototypes to research robots
Hong traces DARwIn’s development from a Virginia Tech project begun in 2004 to the sensor-equipped DARwIn-2A in 2006. Early versions used ROBOTIS Dynamixel motors; later robots added cameras, an IMU, foot force sensors, batteries, and onboard computing. The team also built an autonomous soccer program and qualified for RoboCup’s humanoid division in 2006.
- 7:46
Why build DARwIn-OP
Hong says researchers and universities had contacted the team about using DARwIn, prompting an NSF-supported effort to create an open humanoid platform for research, education, and outreach. The project planned to distribute robots to partner universities and use their feedback to improve the design. DARwIn-OP was redesigned from scratch after the team found that basing it on the Mini-HUBO would constrain its capabilities.
- 11:13
Design goals for users
The design targets carrying extra sensors and processing equipment, with a 1.6 GHz Atom processor and built-in camera, six-axis IMU, microphone, and speakers. Hong describes applications including advanced vision, autonomous behavior, sound-source localization, and speech research. The robot is intended to support modifications such as added cameras or a gripper, and to be maintainable through replaceable parts.
- 15:59
Open hardware and software
The project planned to publish 2D and 3D CAD files, fabrication and assembly guides, electronics schematics, firmware, and software on SourceForge. Users could build or modify the robot themselves, while buying difficult-to-make parts or a complete unit from ROBOTIS. Hong says the PC-based system could run Linux or Windows, with support planned for tools including ROS, MATLAB, and LabVIEW.
- 19:30
Project partners and workshop plan
Hong hands the session to ROBOTIS leadership to cover specifications, pricing, and availability, then outlines talks on mechanical assembly, electronics, sensors, and software. He says the afternoon includes hands-on programming using software developed at the University of Pennsylvania. The workshop also plans to cover fabrication and open hardware.
Briefs summarise talks and interviews; timestamps open the video at that moment. Claims in a talk are the speaker's own.
More talks
- LaCiudaddelasIdeas· Oct 18, 2017
Humanoid Robots: From kicking a ball to saving a life - Dennis Hong - CDI 2011
Dennis Hong, robotics professor and founding director at Virginia Tech, explains why humanoid robots suit human environments and how his lab developed soccer-playing robots and firefighting prototypes.
- ROBOTIS· Mar 3, 2011
ROBOTIS Humanoid robot, DARwIn-OP - Robotis CEO Presentation
Bill Kim, identified as ROBOTIS’s CEO, presents the DARwIn-OP humanoid robot and ROBOTIS products to an audience.
- GRASP Lab· Mar 28, 2023
Spring 2023 GRASP SFI Michael Chang, University of California, Berkeley
Michael Chang, a PhD researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, presents his work at the GRASP Lab Spring 2023 SFI on neural abstractions for modeling and controlling systems, and discusses future human-computer interfaces at DeepMind.
- MIT Robotics· Oct 23, 2019
MIT Robotics - Karen Liu - Simulating Realistic Human Motion for Robotics
Karen Liu, an associate professor of computer science at Stanford University, discusses physics-based human motion simulation and its use in robotics at an MIT Robotics talk.
- ROBOTIS· Jun 29, 2012
ICRA2012 Challenge-Purdue-Dance Dance Revolution
A ROBOTIS presenter discusses a Darwin humanoid robot that plays Dance Dance Revolution and the vision-processing and motion constraints behind the demonstration.
