ShanghAI Lectures 2014 – Roboy and Devanthro: Devanthro Society
Rafael, speaking for Devanthro Society, describes how Roboy supports anthropomorphic robotics research, public engagement and education, and potential commercial applications, with work connected to Rolf Pfeifer’s lab and the Myorobotics project.
In this talk
- 0:13
A long-term goal for robotics
Rafael presents Devanthro Society’s aim as developing robots with capabilities approaching those of the human body, a vision he expects to take decades. Its approach combines research, student outreach, public communication, community building, and commercial spin-offs that can feed useful results back into the work.
- 3:26
Roboy as a public-facing research platform
Roboy was built on a nine-month schedule as a soft, interactive humanoid that people could safely approach and touch. The team designed it as a reproducible, open project, using 3D printing and community input, including a public vote on its head design. Crowdfunding and discounts from sponsors helped cover the remaining costs.
- 7:19
Public engagement and robotics education
Roboy drew long queues at Robots on Tour and appeared at events, media programs, conferences, and theater performances in several countries. The Roboy School program brings four modules to four classes in one day, covering robotics and society, anatomy, product development and 3D printing, and a hands-on robot-building challenge.
- 12:59
Modular robots and bio-inspired control
Myorobotics uses joint, muscle, and bone modules that can be assembled into different machines, including robotic arms and a quadruped. Rafael describes experiments where a simple proportional controller and elastic muscles help a robot balance, throw a ball, and store energy in its springs. The team is also connecting the system to spiking neural networks running on SpiNNaker, though the control still needs tuning.
- 16:54
Open development and commercial uses
Roboy’s code is released under BSD 3-Clause and its CAD files under CC BY 4.0, allowing commercial use with attribution. Devanthro is developing a more producible head and imagines placing a conversational robot at company entrances or hospital floors to greet visitors and help people find staff or services. In the Q&A, Rafael estimated that a Myorobotics muscle cost about €800 and an arm could cost €15,000 to €20,000.
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