Training Your Mechanical Companion: Securely Carry a Miniature Model in a Baby Carrier
In the ever-evolving world of robotics, a groundbreaking development is taking shape at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Researchers have proposed a novel teleoperation approach for humanoid robots called CHILD (Controller for Humanoid Imitation and Live Demonstration) [1].
As a general-purpose humanoid controller, CHILD holds immense potential, making intuitive robot control accessible to general users [2]. The design of CHILD is inspired by the way parents naturally teach movements to their children while using a baby carrier [3]. This innovative interface allows a human operator to move the robot's body parts, and a larger robot learns from and imitates the movements [3].
The compact form factor of CHILD makes it lighter and generally more affordable than a full exoskeleton [5]. CHILD is integrated into a pipeline to support humanoid forms and dual-arm configurations, allowing portable and wireless control of target robots [6].
Professor Joohyung Kim, associate professor in electrical and computer engineering and director of KIMLAB at UIUC, explains that CHILD is one of the solutions for enabling users to provide direct commands via teleoperation for specific target tasks [7]. An academic paper describing CHILD is scheduled to be presented in Seoul, Korea, in October, at the IEEE RAS HUMANOIDS Conference 2025 [1].
With CHILD, a robot strapped to one's chest in a baby carrier aspires to be that interface, with the worn robot's movements being performed by its distant proxy [3]. The CHILD hardware can be 3D printed using PLA (polylactic acid) on an FDM (fused deposition modeling) printer [8]. The entire hardware bill of materials for the CHILD unit costs just under $1,000 [9].
Most adults can use CHILD without any customization, whereas a full exoskeleton typically requires individual adjustments [9]. Professor Kim spent years at Disney Research, and during that time, he often considered how artists could create animatronic motions more easily through more intuitive interfaces [10].
CHILD complements a prior project called PAPRLE (Plug-And-Play Robotic Limb Environment), which is a robotic teleoperation pipeline for connecting various input devices [11]. As more humanoid robots become commonplace than wheeled designs in the long term, according to Kim [12], CHILD represents a significant step towards bridging the gap between human and machine, enabling seamless collaboration and learning.
[1] https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/3652271 [2] https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9684330 [3] https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/05/1056324/robot-baby-carrier-teaches-robots-how-to-move-like-humans/ [4] https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.13460 [5] https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/05/1056324/robot-baby-carrier-teaches-robots-how-to-move-like-humans/ [6] https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9684330 [7] https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/05/1056324/robot-baby-carrier-teaches-robots-how-to-move-like-humans/ [8] https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/05/1056324/robot-baby-carrier-teaches-robots-how-to-move-like-humans/ [9] https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/05/1056324/robot-baby-carrier-teaches-robots-how-to-move-like-humans/ [10] https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/05/1056324/robot-baby-carrier-teaches-robots-how-to-move-like-humans/ [11] https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/05/1056324/robot-baby-carrier-teaches-robots-how-to-move-like-humans/ [12] https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/05/1056324/robot-baby-carrier-teaches-robots-how-to-move-like-humans/
- CHILD's design, inspired by parents teaching movements to children, is an artificial intelligence-driven hardware for humanoid robots, offering intuitive control that can be integrated with science of robotics and space-and-astronomy, as well as technology and artifical intelligence.
- The CHILD hardware, costing just under $1,000, is affordable and can be 3D printed using FDM printers, making it an accessible solution for general users in the field of science and technology.
- As more humanoid robots become commonplace, CHILD, a robot strapped to one's chest, signifies a significant step towards seamless collaboration and learning between humans and machines, bridging the gap in science, technology, and even art.
- Combining CHILD with a prior project like PAPRLE, researchers anticipate the creation of a comprehensive robotic teleoperation pipeline, enhancing the versatility of human-robot interaction in various scenarios, including in science, art, and engineering.
