Creating a Robot (p2)

After last week's lesson on the ideal dimensions for a robot, we were asked to decide on what the robot featuring in our video would look like. First of all, we had to draw out three sketches of our vision of a domestic robot and then share our ideas - we soon found out that everyone's robots shared similar traits, such as two eyes, arms and legs, just like that of a human.

Using our sketches as a reference, our group came up with a "checklist" of qualities for our robot:

• Should be humanoid (uncanny valley)
• Inspired by science-fiction - should look "cool"
• Thin waist - aesthetic beauty (tradition since Victorian era [corsets] + looks like intimidating)
• Two eyes - wide, 200˚ vision, should look human (eyes that move and blink)
• Camera on top of head - 360˚ vision, GPS system

We also looked into the Phantom 4 drone, and in particular, its optical system. Its camera system enables it to dodge obstacles and track humans - done using five cameras (two on the front, two on the bottom and the main, 4K camera - all with enhanced corner sharpness and less distortion). The images captured by these are run through computer vision software, allowing it to construct a 3D model of the world around it so it can easily navigate and avoid crashes (see *). In addition, its visual system also allows it to intuitively track and follow moving objects.

The bottom vision of the Phantom 4 has been greatly improved. An additional bottom optical sensor is integrated into the system, and enables the drone to track its location relative to the ground from 33 feet in the air. This also allows the Phantom 4 to detect objects within 50 feet of itself - when it is this distance apart from the object, it will begin to slow down, and when it is within 6 feet of the object, it will either stop or fly around the object*.