A robotics company based in the UK, is digging into the possibility of introducing more human-like robots to the world. The company’s latest innovation is a robotic system that will serve as the foundation to build any humanoid. Mesmer’s skeleton. (Video via engineeredarts.co.uk)
Engineered Arts is a British company dedicated to creating the best products in robotics. The company’s expertise has been expressed in many projects and many institutions such as the Glasgow Science Center. The company’s creations have served in many fields, from education to entertainment. However, the latest innovation from the company is what could change the area of robotics forever.
Mesmer is a set robotic part that can be customized and adapted into any robot regardless of its functions. The parts of Mesmer include motors, electronic pieces, cameras, microphones, sensors and software to ensure the coordination between all the mechanical parts. The goal of Engineered Arts (EA) being to make a robot looking as human as possible, it is no wonder that the engineers were very much detail oriented. EA differentiated itself from all the other companies trying to build a humanoid, by designing and building each of the parts of Mesmer instead of purchasing it them from external parties. Building each part of the system themselves was not only cost-effective, but also ensure that the various components work together effectively.
For a human-inspired robot, Mesmer had to present the same anatomy as human. To achieve that engineers of EA had to design mechanisms that would work like organs or systems inside the human body. Those mechanisms don’t stop at just the hardware; they include software necessary to animate the parts and have them behave just like the human versions would. One challenge that comes with animating mechanical parts is the noise they make when moving. But, EA handles the issue by inserting controllers among the systems, giving every motor control of its acceleration, position, speed and torque. The software animating the machine is not the only option users have to give life to their humanoid. Users can use the comprehensive software development environment EA provides to build their animation software using Python, based on what they need the humanoid to do or behave like. Users can also use the robot’s detectors to save information about the environment inside the robot. Previous creations of EA like TinMan will also be available to incorporate in Mesmer. Having Mesmer on the same platform as the company’s previous robots will make it easy to update the new robot.
Mesmer applied to design characters of Madam Thussault. (Video via engineeredarts.co.uk)
Since Mesmer is customizable, it was important for the animation software to be versatile. On its website, the company explains that any creative person or artist can customize the software of Mesmer; there is no need to be expert in coding. In case the user is a bit lost, there is a 3D representation of the robot the user can put on their computer to make it easier to add functions to the Mesmer. Once all the changes have been made on the computer, the user can install them on the actual robot. Another beauty with Mesmer is that it can be manipulated remotely using internet; but the whole system is encrypted to guarantee data security. In case of repair in the skeleton, Mesmer’s skin is designed in a way that allow easy access to internal organs. When it comes to the expression on the face of Mesmer, a 3D scanning Photogrammetry Rig helped capture various facial expressions that the new robot can mimic. Lastly, the humanoid does not have a fix cost to the user. EA will need to know what special traits the user needs in his version of Mesmer before deciding on how much to charge. In other words even the cost of Mesmer is customizable.
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