See how TRINA, the tele-robotic intelligent nursing assistant can be operated using different interfaces such as a game controller, stylus, and motion mapping to complete tasks. Which interface do you think will work best?
The dangerous process of dismantling large ship hulls often involves cutting down and recycling the ship’s infrastructure. According to US OSHA standards, ship breaking operations expose workers to a wide range of hazards or conditions likely to cause injury or illness. Learn how a group of WPI students worked together to develop a solution to improve worker safety in the ship-breaking industry by designing a prototype that displays the viability of a robotic approach to ship recycling.
Recycling is a key process for a sustainable future, and yet it is far from desired levels of efficiency. As mixed-stream recycling is the most common approach for domestic waste, the recycling industry heavily relies on the development of reliable waste sorting technologies. Robotic systems have remarkable potential for fulfilling this need and moving the industry to the next level.
This exhibit highlights the creation of a short film starring Gompei the Goat, Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s mascot, exploring campus during the time of the covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, this video gives life to the “Proud Goat” bronze statue overlooking the WPI Quadrangle and imagines him reminiscing on the pre-pandemic times of campus bustling with activity. Being unaware of the covid-19 pandemic due to the lack of a respiratory system, statue-Gompei is wandering campus with curiosity as to where everyone went.
Medical robotics is a growing focus area within the Robotics Engineering Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. Researchers are working on advances in surgical robotics (including innovative robots designed to work inside MRI scanners), assistive robots (including systems to aid in stroke rehabilitation), and even robotic nursing systems. Opening in 2019, PracticePoint, a research, development, and commercialization alliance located at WPI’s Gateway Park, will provide an exciting new venue for creating and testing medical robotics and cyberphysical systems. Learn More: wpi.edu/+RBE
When most people picture robots, they see machines with rigid parts. The robots developed by Cagdas Onal, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and robotics engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), are soft, with parts made from deformable plastics and rubber. Soft robots are safer to operate around people and are ideally suited to carry out a variety of tasks that their traditionally rigid cousins can’t, including moving snake-like through confined spaces. But their ability to bend in many axes and change their shape make them unable to carry heavy loads, which limits their utility. Onal is building a new class of variable-stiffness robots that have which have rigidity and softness. His innovative designs draw on the ancient art of paper folding, known as origami.
In a world where humans and robots are increasingly co-existing, student researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) are working on projects to help humans better interact with their robotic partners, and to enable robots to be more capable, more efficient and more user-friendly human assistants. Here a student team has built a robot that can take visitors on a tour of a campus building. Using cameras and sensors, the team also employed speech recognition, computer vision and navigation technologies to create a robot that can recognize and move around obstacles in its way and take people to multiple locations. It also can communicate with its users verbally and using facial expressions on a computer screen.
Inspired by nature, Carlo Pinciroli, assistant professor of computer science and robotics engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), leads a research team in the Novel Engineering for Swarm Technologies Laboratory that is trying to give swarms of fairly simple robots a sort of collective intelligence, so they can sense their environment, communicate, and work together efficiently and safely.
Join WPI junior Corinne Hartman and Professor Stafford as they show of FIRST Team 190’s 2019 competition robot and read You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Robots! written by Ian Graham and illustrated by David Antram.
Walk along with Mitra, Despina, and Sophia to go on a tour inside the WPI Makerspace, learn more about the 3D Printing process, and watch some amazing student projects. Answer some questions using the attached form and get a chance to win Makerspace-Made swag!
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