Japanese scientists create Hollywood`s `Avatar` robot
Baku, February 18 (AZERTAC). The sci-fi world of the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar has been brought one step closer to reality with the creation of a robot that mimics the movements of its human controller.
Japanese scientists have developed a robot that allows humans to direct its actions while also enabling them to see, hear and feel the same things as their android counterpart.
The TELESAR V robot can be seen as perhaps the first step towards a real-life echo of the Hollywood film Avatar, in which US soldiers were able to remotely control the genetically engineered bodies of an extra-terrestrial race they wished to subdue.
Describing the sensation of using the robot, Sho Kamuro, a researcher, told AFP: “When I put on the devices and move my body, I see my hands having turned into robot hands.
“When I move my head, I get a different viewpoint from the one I had before. It`s a strange experience that makes you wonder if you`ve really become a robot.”
The TELESAR V robot - the TELexistence Surrogate Anthropomorphic Robot - is operated by a human controller, who wears special equipment including headgear, gloves and a vest in order to direct the actions of the android machine
The gloves are made of thin polyester lined with semiconductors and tiny motors to enable the user to “feel” what the robot is actually touching, distinguishing between sensations such as smooth or bumpy and hot or cold.
Meanwhile, the images in the line of vision of the “eyes” of the robot are captured on camera and appear in three-dimensional form on small video screens in front of the user`s eyes.
Such devices could be most usefully deployed in situations where it is too dangerous to send humans, according to Professor Susumu Tachi, who specialises in engineering and virtual reality at Keio University`s Graduate School of Media Design.
One such scenario was the use of the robots in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was severely damaged in last year`s earthquake and tsunami.
"I think further research and development could enable this to go into areas too dangerous for humans and do jobs that require human skills," said Professor Tachi,
“It`s important to make robots that can work in a radioactive environment and that`s what we`re aiming at.”
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