HUMANOID BUYERS GUIDE

by the staff of

elcome to our humanoid buyers guide! If you are a newcomer to the fascinat- ing world of tabletop humanoid and are curious about the variety of Wproducts available in this category, we’ve got you covered. This guide is based on web research and product reviews published in Robot and is not exhaustive. However, it is a representative sampling of many of the most popular humanoids avail- able in the U.S. and Europe today. Pricing is approximate and in some cases based on vendor prices before a model went out of production. Because so many thousands of some models were produced, they are often still available as used or “mint condition used” robots, and sometimes for a song. Still floating around in the community and being actively used, they merit mention here. With the introduction of the Kondo Robot KHR-1 humanoid in the mid 2000s, the humanoid market was established. Kondo was the original sponsor of Robo- One robotic humanoid martial arts competition and understood the need for more intelligent servos than those previously available for radio control hobby applications. Kondo designed new servos specifically for robots and launched the now nearly legendary Kondo KHR robot family. Humanoid robots have since proliferated and are now used for a wide variety of applications from entertainment and sport competition to educational outreach and humanoid research. While organizing this guide, we were pleasantly surprised by the large number of humanoid robots and the startling variety of choices in price, hardware and . Whatever your preferences, you are like- ly to find the right match for your budget and interests here! We have highlighted some of the distinguishing characteristics of each robot to give you an edge in your search for that next machine destined to put a smile on the faces of those in your household (everyone loves humanoids!). Our special thanks to Lem Fugitt of www.robots-dreams.com for his guidance on humanoid bots over the years and for his contributions to this guide (ranging from photography to perspectives on particu- lar machines). We also highly recom- mend www.robotservicesgroup.com for quick, in-depth comparative data on most of the robots surveyed in this guide.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll - Which of these robots will walk into your life?

32 ROBOT MAGAZINE Aldebaran www.aldebaran-robotics.com/en Futaba DOF: 25 (Academics Edition); height: 23 inches. RBT-1 Nao has distinguished itself on the international DOF: 20. When the RBT-1 scene as one of the most sophisticated and became available to Robot important tabletop humanoid robots brought magazine in late 2007, we to market. The idea behind Nao is to offer a were rightfully impressed straightforward, affordable and dynamic robot that it was a Ferrari among platform for research, but one that can also find a the humanoids. It had slick place in homes for service, entertainment and software (including a 3D companionship. In July 2007 it was selected as WYSIWIG animation capa- the official standard platform for international bility), a fully programma- RoboCup competition, replacing the discontinued ble PS2-style controller Sony Aibo robot dog. Nao is being used in well with a 2.4GHz radio sys- over 400 universities in over two dozen countries. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll tem, and more DOF than Nao’s vision is supplied by two CMOS any other stock humanoid 640X480 cameras that can capture up to 30fps; it at the time. Carrying an has ultrasound emitters and sensors for object Atmega 128 CPU, the 10- avoidance and an inertial unit composed of a 3- inch robot is fast and rela- axis accelerometer and a 2-axis gyro that enables tively light. With a primary it to orient itself, navigate inclines and get back up skeleton made of plastic if it falls down. It can operate for 90 minutes using brackets, and weighing in its 24V lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. Using its at only about two pounds, “Choreographe” software, users can script interac- it is on the light side for tive behaviors; Choreographe is compatible with martial arts. It was original- Windows, Mac OS and , and it can be used ly priced at about $1500 with Python and C++, as well as Microsoft but has been seen recently Robotics Studio, Webot and Cyberbotics. Urbi on eBay and on a number comes with the NAO and is built in. Since of online stores priced at November 2010, an Academics Edition has been just over $1,000. available, and a general public version is planned. CPU: x86 AMD GEODE 500 MHz. Depending on the version and whether you are involved in a beta test program, pricing can range from approx- imately $4,000 to about $13,000 (universities, potentially higher for private buyers), but these are Hitec Robotics USA rough figures.. Check with Aldebaran for details, www.hitecrobotics.com as pricing and NAO configurations can change. (858) 748-6948

ROBONOVA-1 DOF: 16. The Robonova-1 (RN-1), now out of production but often avail- able used on eBay and elsewhere given the many thousands produced, uses an Atmel-128 based controller that can control up to 24 servos. The versatility of its controller has been highly praised by hobbyists. The approximately one foot tall RN-1 was one of the first humanoids to come with a specially designed servo, the HSR-84981HB, which features an inte- gral “idler wheel” for secure mount- ing in the brackets that comprise its skeleton. Software packaged with the RN-1 included two different pro- grams, a variant of BASIC called RoboBasic and a graphical user inter- face. The board is pre-configured to accept gyros, sonar arrays, accelerometers and other sensors, and an infrared remote is included. The stock package came with a suite of 29 pre-programmed moves enabling the RN-1 to bow, kick, do a headstand and even a cartwheel. Although sold for roughly $900 - $1,000 when it was still in production, pricing for used and mint condition RN-1s today is all over the map.

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Kumotek, www.kumotek.com KT-X DOF: 17. Kumotek’s KT-X comes in a few ver- sions and represents a family of humanoids. The KT-X “Superbot,” Kumotek’s flagship, has 17 servos, a 60MHz microcon- troller and a remote control (U.S. customers only). Un upgraded “Gladiator” KT-X features 19 DOF so that it can pivot (yaw) on the hip axis and has the most human-like motions. The

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll “KT-X Lite” is an entry level vari- ant with 13 DOF. The Superbot comes standard with a speaker that plays .wav files and a port for a gyro/accelerometer sensor. A wireless gamepad remote control enables “real time interaction and play.” Kumotek says that the KT-S is the “first low-cost bi-pedal robot plat- form of its kind to be offered in the U.S. that (a) can be controlled using a standard wireless PS2 game con- troller…”. The controller board has 512kB ROB/64kB RAM and comes loaded with 75 preprogrammed motions. The servos on this 13.5-in. robot have embedded sensors for detecting the servo’s position in real time, and communication is RS232C (115kbps) or USB. Its “RobovieMaker” programming software runs on any standard Windows based PC. Price: $1,250 (KT-X Superbot).

Innovati http://en.innovati.com.tw/index.php, (408) 451-9779; Distributed by Kowatec, www.kowatec.com KT-X PC DOF: 20. The KT-X Advanced ROBOTINNO is based on DOF: 16. Innovati offers a wide variety of robot- VisiON 4G technology developed ic products specifically designed for education. by Kumotek’s Japanese partner, Centered on the BASIC Commander single Vstone. Vstone brings years of board computer, the Innovati system used in experience competing at the inter- the Robotinno offers a wide range of optional peripherals and modules, including an LCD national RoboCup robot soccer screen, keypad, joystick, I/O expansion, ultra- competition to the development sonic sensor, gyro, compass, accelerometers of humanoid robotics technology. and other modules along with servo and motor This robot is a sophisticated drivers. The system is completely self-con- humanoid for the serious tained and does not require other software to researcher. It uses six high-torque operate, yet it also has been successfully used titanium gear motors in the legs by many in conjunction with open source appli- for enhanced stability, an onboard cations using the Processing language. The PC, 3-axis gyro/accelerometer and standard configuration utilizes the SC16 control board to control the robot’s 16 servos, five for a high resolution vision system. each leg and three for each arm. Includes an The blue external urethane pads onboard USB port for communication and provide shock absorption should downloads. A motion editor enables creation of the robot fall. It uses a 1.6GHz poses and motion sequences, and the included AXIOMTEK PICO820 Intel Atom InnoBasic program, a compiler system, enables Z530 main processor and a VS- quick response and realistic humanoid move- RC003HV, ARM7 60MHz sub-CPU, ment; the package does not include sophisticat- and sports a 2-axis 1.3 megapixel ed graphic programming. Price: $1000. CMOS camera. Communications: USB2.0x2, RGBx1, LAN (10/100/1000MBase-TX)x1. Price: $13,960. l

34 ROBOT MAGAZINE lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Kablamm, Ltd. MechRC Humanoid, www.mechrc.com MECHRC Dof: 17; MechRC comes fully assembled with a remote control, speech capability and over 100 programmed moves and actions preinstalled, and more on the supplied CD-ROM and on the website. Programming is made simple through USB and a visual based animation- strip programming interface; no programming experience required! Lithium polymer bat- tery, MechRC Commander software and infrared remote included. Upgradable with stronger servos and armor kits. Price: $750

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Kondo Robot www.kondo-robot.com

KONDO KHR-1 DOF: 17. This robot started an entirely new hobby robotics industry—humanoid hobby robotics. Launched in the mid-2000s by Kondo Robot, the KHR-1 had 17 servos and utilized Windows based GUI programs called ServoMangerR and HeartToHeart. The latter allowed sequential posing of the intelligent servos Kondo KONDO KHR-1HV had purpose-designed. The DOF: 19. This robot followed the KHR-2HV and added a robot was designed for the pivotal hip plus more powerful servos in the shoulder Robo-One humanoid martial area. The new RCB-3HB microcontroller was more pow- arts competitions. As we went erful than its predecessor. 24 PWM I/Os and three ana- to press Robosavvy.com was log input ports, 10.8V 800mAh NiMH battery and selling original KHR-1 robots “HeartToHeart3” software. Price: $1800. bundled with the RoBoard 100 embedded X86 computer board. This is a great package if you want to own a piece of history! The kit includes two RCB-1 control boards an RS- 232 serial link and 6V 1000mAh NiMH battery. Approximately 13 inches tall.

KONDO KHR-2HV DOF: 17. The KHR-2HV walks, climbs steps and per- forms other human-like actions. It is the successor to the Kondo KHR-1, which was the first humanoid robot kit in the world. The KHR-2HV features a larger chest and additional hardware and soft- ware, fewer assembly screws, tough aluminum alloy frames, an included USB to serial cable, a NiMH battery and an easy to use graphical user interface (GUI) software designed for begin- ners. Free downloadable sample motions makes this platform highly programma- ble. It uses the RCB-3J con- troller board with 24 PWM I/O and three analog input ports, and “HeartToHeart3J” software. Expandable to 24 DOF; approximately 13 inches tall. Price: $1,500 lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

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Kyosho MANOI, www.kyosho.com MANOI AT01 & PF01 First announced in 2005, the 15.7-inch tall MANOI AT01 (left) and MANOI PF01 are the product of a partnership between Kyosho and Kondo Robot who teamed on a robot design for both the hobbyist and researcher, and for Robo-One competition (MANOI is derived from “humanoid” and the AT in the name is derived from “athlete”). At that time, Kyosho president Aki Suzuki observed that the MANOI was among the lightest humanoids in its category. Noted robot designer Tomotaka Takahashi of ROBO-Garage designed the PF01 version with a “character costume” to add human warmth and appeal (PF stands for “performance”). This added a dimension and in the eyes of many, transformed it into an entertainment . The AT version was based on the PF design but altered to be suitable for manufacturing. The MANOI, equipped with the RCB-3 controller, came to market in late 2006 and is no longer in production. Our friends in Japan say that while Kyosho is not actively promoting the MANOI at this time, some distributors still have them in stock and are selling them. Price: $1999 (historic price point, current pricing will vary)

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll - Kondo Robot Lynxmotion www.kondo-robot.com www.lynxmotion.com (866) 512-1024 KONDO KHR-3HV DOF: 17. This latest offering from Kondo Robot includes 22 servos in CUSTOM HUMANOID the build process—but five are Lynxmotion is famous for its dummy placeholders that can be very complete “Erector Set” replaced if you elect to upgrade the line of brackets, servos and robot to as many as 24 DOF. accessories that enable any Expansion potential is built into this hobbyist to custom design a platform; the RCB-4HV microcon- humanoid, quadruped or hexa- troller permits operation of up to 35 pod. Lynxmotion sells a simple servos and is compatible with the biped kit, the BRAT, for the ICS3.0 serial servo protocol that entry level hobbyist. Using the allows connection of servos in a SSC-32 servo sequencer with daisy chain to minimize onboard software provided by cabling and simplify routing. The Lynxmotion, you can quickly robot uses Version 4 “HeartToHeart” learn to program the BRAT to software and a 10.8V 800mAh NiMH walk on a desktop, tethered to battery. Judicious use of aluminum, your PC. Where you take your polycarbonate and ABS in the frame project from there is only up to parts provides a lighter and tougher your imagination. This system frame. The mechanical engineering generates both Basic Atom and has been tweaked to permit faster Basic Stamp 2 code, so the sky recovery from a prone position and is the limit—and if you want to faster standing from a sitting posi- progress up the learning curve tion. Price: $1700 in increments, this may be the path for you. Shown is a full humanoid that can be created using Lynxmotion parts.

36 ROBOT MAGAZINE RCMart International, Inc. www.rcmart.com.tw

NX-25Q DOF: 17. RCmart International’s robot divi- sion has produced a gem of a humanoid in this 9.45-inch tall, metal- bracketed robot. It runs a Renasa 0260F6A U5 5321A microcontroller and uses NX-mini appli- cation software; commu- llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll nication is via RS232 (optional USB cord). Power is provided by a 6V 850mAh NiMH bat- tery, and the kit includes a simple widget that when plugged into a bat- tery and servo, automati- cally centers the servo. A robot stand is included so that you can work on the robot while it is suspend- ed with no load on the servos, a nice touch. The stock kit comes with pur- pose designed, metal- geared, metal-cased ana- log servos but digital are also available. The Position Editor software is intuitive and easy to use. Price: $890 (ready to run); $839 (kit) ROBOTIS, www.robotis.com DARWIN-OP RoboBuilder co., Ltd., Korea, www.robobuilder.net DOF: 20. The DARwIn-OP is a miniature humanoid robot platform with advanced computational power, ROBOBUILDER sophisticated sensors, high payload capacity and DOF: 16. This robot uses 16 dynamic motion ability designed to enable many excit- wCK actuators that are much ing research and education activities. It features a high- more than simple servos. speed bus, simple wiring, a wide-angle HD camera They are smart actuators mounted in its head and a “self maintenance kit” with using proportional integral instructions, among its many well thought out ele- derivative (PID) algorithms. ments. It has the power and speed to run and jump—a Each actuator has two digital first in this category; and it has a modifiable default gait I/O connections that also speed of 0.25 sec/step. Specifications are intended to function as analog inputs, evolve: regularly check http://sourceforge.net/pro- and each is addressable with jects/darwinop for updates. The robot is the outcomeof its own I/O address through a joint collaboration between Virginia Tech, Purdue, settings, although they come University of Pennsylvania and ROBOTIS. It has an preset. The actuators have onboard PC, 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 with 4GB SSD, pentagon shaped spline out- and its management controller is the ARM CortexM3 put shafts and can be con- STM32F103RE 72MHz. Communications: 5 LEDs, 2 nected to the body or other RGB LEDs, 6 external I/O ports, 8 external ADC ports, actuators using your choice 2Mbps serial bus; 4.5 Mbps Dynamixel servo bus. This of no less than 12 available open source, open platform robot can be built from joints or wheels (this kit can publicly available plans and specifications or pur- also be made into a dog or chased from Robotis. It uses new RX-28M servos and dinosaur, or other kinds of nearly all of its parts are off the shelf. platforms). The servos can The DARwIn-OP (and a higher end version, called be programmed for continu- the DARwIn-HP) are funded in part by the National ous rotation, so the technolo- Science Foundation (see the full story in the March- gy in this kit can be used April issue of Robot). Virginia Tech is building the OP again and again in diverse and HP versions and giving them to over a dozen uni- applications. Documentation versities (9 HPs and 26 Ops), and one of the goals is to is good and the inspire more students to major in computer science and MotionBuilder software engineering, and to create an enabling infrastructure for enables you to position the humanoid research, education and outreach. Hobbyists robot and capture the posi- and researchers can also purchase the DARwIn-OP tion as an animation frame in software. Using this, you can teach the robot to dance. from Robotis. The official price is $12,000 and an educa- Other included software: wCK Programmer, Action Builder, and Diagnostics. Price: $680 tors discount is expected to be announced soon.

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ROBOTIS, www.robotis.com BIOLOID PREMIUM KIT DOF: 18. The BIOLOID Premium Kit is a multi-purpose humanoid platform with advanced functionality & scalability. The Premium is the successor to the Bioloid Comprehensive kit and uses AX-12+ intelligent Dynamixel servos, which deliver an impressive 15 kg.cm (208 oz.in) of torque at 12V. The modu- lar system is similar to the Bioloid Comprehensive kit but has a new main con- troller, the CM-10, with six external analog sensor inputs, a gyro sensor, distance measuring sensor, two IR sensors, customizable head and chest exterior and much more. It includes an RC-100 remote controller (infrared, Zigbee optional), USB2 Dynamixel that is PC programmable, a new RoboPlus Task environment (C-style language), convenient RoboPlus Motion editing, demonstration files and an online tutorial and support. Includes a 11.1V 1000mAh LiPo battery and a balancing charger. This is a flagship humanoid that is one of the most functional and comprehensive available. GP comes with robust aluminum frames. Price: $1,199

ll ll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll - TAKARA TOMY I-SOBOT Dof: 17. The pre- assembled out of the box i-Sobot is a remarkably sophisti- cated and diminutive humanoid. It features 17 custom designed servos with built-in clutches and dedicat- ed CPU controllers. There are a total of 19 CPUs onboard; one is the central “brain” and one is dedicated to voice recognition. Two BIOLOID GP gyros enable it to The GP stands for Grand Prix and this latest addition to the balance in a variety Bioloid family of humanoids is aimed at top level competi- of poses. It can be tion at venues like the Korea Robot Game Festival, Robo- remotely controlled One and Robogames. The servos used in the GP legs are and also comes with the new AX-18A (upper body uses AX-12A servos) mod- eight preinstalled els, physically identical to the AX-12+ but with more complex motions torque and faster rotation speeds. At 12V, torque is up and 10 preprogrammed voice commands. It also contains an amazing 180 pre- 20% to 18kg-cm and speed is up to a respectavle 97 RPM programmed actions that can be sequenced in Program Mode. Launched in from 51RPM, almost double the speed of the AX12+. You 2007, it is now out of production but so many were manufactured it remains can check for updates on this most recent release at widely available worldwide. Price: $100 - $300 www.robotis.com/xe. Price: $2,799 USD.

38 ROBOT MAGAZINE The World Models, www.theworldmodels.us, www.robophilo.com ROBO PHILO DOF: 20. This 13-inch tall robot was developed by RoboBrothers, Inc., USA and World Models Manufacturing, and is marketed by Airborne Models. It was designed to be more affordable than many in its category and programmable from your PC. It uses an Atmega32-16PU with an interrupt driven kernel for Infrared remote, and it has 24 servo channels. Up to eight I/Os are available for adding hardware and it is capable of performing over 300 user motions. It comes with 150 predefined poses, 50 sequences and 50 routines. Because it uses standard servos, it does not have a “catch and play” feature, so you modify existing poses and moves or program your own to build sequences. The IR remote can play 121 user defined motion routines. A software development kit (SDK) is available for development of C programs for autonomous control; com- munication is via an RS232 serial connec- tion. The Motion Creator application runs on Windows and requires that you install the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Redistributable and C++ Redistributable packages (supplied). Price: $499 (ready to walk, assembled)

ROBO PHILO JR. DOF: 10. Philo Junior is a scaled down entry level humanoid for the budget mind- ed. It includes a 10 I/O interface and like the Robo Philo, it can peform hundreds of user-created motions. The specifications are a subset of the those of the Robo Philo. It can be upgraded to the Robo Philo with the addition of servos and sup- porting brackets. Price: $199 (kit); $249 (ready to walk, assembled) lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllll Trossen Robotics www.trossenrobotics.com (877) 898-1005

PHANTOM X AX-12/18F AND RX- 24FHUMANOIDS Our scouts have discovered that Trossen Robotics is mixing some of the best of the community’s hobby robotics technologies to produce a family of robots that will soon include outstanding humanoids—please note that this is in development and the Trossen humanoids are not yet available. The ArtbotiX Robocontroller from Vanadium Labs is the first dedicated Arduino-compatible microcon- troller built specifically to make controlling Robotis Dynamixel servos a simple and easy process. Vanadium has developed libraries and software that generates inverse kinemat- ics (I/K) and gait engines for bipedal robots. Trossen plans two versions of the Phantom humanoid using these tools from Vanadium, one powered by Dynamixel AX-12/18F servos and one byRX-24F servos. This is a product line you will want to keep your eyes on, and Robot will keep you posted.

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WowWee, www..com, (800) 310-3033 ROBOSAPIEN The Robosapien in some respects put its designer, , and Wowwee on the map. Simple enough for a child but sophisticated enough to entertain adults, the Robosapien sold in the millions. This robot has touch sensors on his hands and feet and a sound sensor, and can walk at two different speeds. The robot is controlled with an infrared remote, and is capable of picking up objects. Two hits were its dance rou- tine and karate chops, complete with sound effects. Price: $100.

RS MEDIA DOF: 12. This robot is a collector’s item and yet it is not hard to find. It can record audio and , take pictures, and walk around the room, documenting its surroundings. It can also play back music using its 11-Watt speaker sys- tem (tweeters in each hand; subwoofer is back-mounted). It includes a USB port for an MP3 player). It has stereo sonic sensors and can locate a sharp sound like a clap. RS Media can track movement using infrared sensors A follow-on to the origi- at six inches and two feet. It has a full color 176x132 pixel nal Robosapien, V2 has LCD display on its chest that can display what it sees or more behaviors and images or video. Its software enables the programming of complexity than the ini- “Bodycons” that become sequences of behavior that can tial Robosapien, and is be elicited depending on defined inputs and conditions, capable of autonomous and verbal or other sound outputs can be coordinated behavior with sight, with the movements using the included timeline based sound and touch sen- editor. Stock “personalities” include RS Media, Service sors. It detects and Bot 3000, Space-Bot and Billy Joe Sapien. Five program- avoids obstacles and has ming options include Puppet Mode but the most powerful a limited ability to recog- option is Bodycon and Personality editing software on a nize colors. The PC, which displays a 3D image that can be rotated. Robosapien family was RS Media comes with 40 MB of and a designed with a lot of port for an SD card (up to 1 GB) that lets you swap out built in “toughness” and personalities at will. How clever the robot sounds and age well. Robosapien V2 acts is a function of your creativity. An infrared remote continued the tradition controls the robot, and the platform inherits the wonder- of several hours of built- ful tough mechanical engineering of its predecessors. in entertainment includ- LINUX embedded OS; USB 1.1 (cable included). ing songs and dance. Wikipedia notes there are two primary processors, a Price: $150 - $200 200MHz ARM9 with 64MB of Flash for the primary LINUX OS and user files, and a custom 16-bit processor for handling the biomorphic robot functions. RAM: 16MB (2006) or 32MB (2007). Price: $100 - $400, depending on outlet. llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 40 ROBOT MAGAZINE ZMP, INV.,http://nuvo.jp/nuvo, www.zmp.co.jp NUVO HOUSEBOT Want to purchase a robot that will watch your kids or walk the halls to keep an eye on things—all based on voice com- mands? Want to see what it sees, on your PC via an internet connection? That was the promise of this cute humanoid but our research indicates that mainly schools in Japan have ordered this robot. It weighs approximately 5.5 pounds and stands 39 cm tall. The standard version is avail- able for $6,000 U.S., and a more ornately colored Japanese version is available for $10,000 U.S.

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll The following websites are good starting points for addi- tional research on humanoid robots.—the editors 

Links Robots-Dreams, www.robots-dreams.com Roboporium, www.roboporium.com Robosavvy, www.robosavvy.com Robotadvice.com, www.robotadvice.com www.willowgarage.com Willow Garage, Robots.net, http://robots.net, Steven Rainwater, (972) 404-0248 PR2 RobotsRule, www.robotsrule.com DOF: 8 per arm (arm: 4, wrist: 3, gripper: 1). Some will argue this is not a RobotSevicesGroup.com, humanoid because it rolls, but we included it because it is designed to work like a www.robotservicesgroup.com humanoid alongside humans, has a torso, head and arms and you can buy it RobotShop, www.robotshop.com, now. This 5-foot, 7- inch tall platform is an open source, open platform robot (866) 627-3178 designed from the ground up for developers. The PR2 runs on the Robot Trossen Robotics, (ROS). Its arms have a passive spring counterbalance system www.trossenrobotics.com, so that they “float” when the power is off. When you purchase a PR2, the box will (877) 898-1005 contain a base station computer, joystick, power cable, self plug-in cable as well as small and large calibration targets. Onboard are two Quad Core i7 Xeon Processors (8 cores), 24GB of memory, 1.5TB externally removable hard drive and a 500GB internal hard drive. The omni-directional base has four steered and powered castors. The robot has many sensors that include but are not limited to For more information, a 5-megapixel global shutter color gigabit ethernet camera, wide-angle color please see our source stereo ethernet camera, a manipulation stereo ethernet camera, and a tilting guide on page 89. Hokuyo UTM-30LX laser scanner. The grippers are equipped with 3-axis accelerometers and fingertip pressure sensors, and that’s only scratching the sur- face—see the online specs at www.willowgarage.com. Price: $400,000 ($120,000 discount to selected customers with a proven track record in contributions to the open source community) llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

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