MRISAR's Chibi-chan; Rail Robot Assistant
A Talking Robotic Guide or Host!
      Below the description are fabrication images and a video!
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This 36" high rail robot assistant can greet visitors and lead them through an area while talking and gesturing towards the surroundings. Its speech can be Bilingual. This robot is an animated art sculpture in the sense that the domed crystals change color, enhancing its appearance and providing an otherworldly, futuristic feel.
The advantage of this robot is that it does not take up floor space, or encumber and impede the travel of visitors. Instead it uses ceiling space to safety traverse its run, out of reach of the general public. The host robot consists of a custom fabricated rail, power supply system and interactive robot. The colors and general appearance of the robot can be modified to compliment a wide variety of decors. In large facilities a number of robots could be configured as hosts for different sections, each with their own distinctive colors and designations. The robot’s main sections are transparent, affording an interesting and festive view into the interior, which is decoratively fortified with numerous bright light emitting diodes, which grace the printed circuit boards within. In operation the robot is capable of introducing its self, introducing the museum area and taking visitors on a tour of the area while automatically speaking and gesturing in regards to what is positioned nearby. The rail portion of the system supplied is an assortment of straight and bent sections to accommodate many setup configurations. The rail must be ceiling mounted with a series of appropriate brackets that are supplied. The preferred ceiling mounting height is no less than fourteen feet but preferably 16’ or a bit higher. Since many structures are appropriate for this dimensional parameter the robot can be easily configured to a wide variety of locations. For extremely high ceilings the brackets must have extensions added to bring the robot down to an appropriate height for visitors to view. Naturally care must be taken for the location of the rail and the desired height to avoid extremely tall floor mounted obstacles. The rail robot configuration enables the robot to traverse a section of a museum without the difficult effect of navigating around the public. As desired the rails system is fitted with a series of triggers which prompt the robots actions as it navigates the museum area. When a trigger is detected the robot accepts the detection as cues to its actions. The speech and desired sounds are stored on a SDHC card. The speech can be made Bilingual. The bilingual attribute involves the addition of more triggers, start panel switches and additional memory space. The gesturing and pivoting of the robot is provided by a series of gear motors and limits. Some of the limits are mechanical limits and some are electrical limits. When alterations are made to the museum’s exhibits the mannerisms and speech can be changed to meet the new requirements. To update the unit’s activities, the robot is trained to the new tasks by a simple to use input device. In effect the robot is taught the new activity. The technology that affords this relates to our proprietary design that is based on our animatronics and rehabilitation robotics, which use special servo controllers we have developed. These controllers under correct adaptation can be used to convert motion data directly to memory and back again. The end result is what seems to be instantaneous learning. Variations on the basic experiments that this technology developed from have resulted in our publication in University proceedings and Awards such as the “Discover Award For Technological Innovation”. The mode of operation for the robots can follow a few different formats depending on the setup. The Robots travel can be started automatically on a timer or initiated at a push of a button when a tour group arrives. The track configuration can either proceed in a loop or a terminating run. As a terminating run the robot’s cues are modified accordingly so that it either starts from each end or returns to the beginning as it’s only starting point. Colored illumination of the domes and crystals switches at stops between Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green and Violet. The rail power is 13.8 VDC provided with a power supply which is adapted to the local utilities configuration. The primary for the power supply features a GFI protection system as an added safety measure. The rail guide on the robot is configured to lock the unit on the rail so that it is always secured properly. The wheels that run it also feature a spring loaded assembly that limits the torque the wheels can apply. This provides an additional safety feature when encountering unexpected obstacle. The robot is fabricated out of aluminum, polycarbonate, acrylic, UHMW and other quality well engineered materials. This interactive robot comes with a robotic torso, two electromechanical arms for gesturing, control panel, sensors, control system with thirty cuing emitters and 100 feet of rail complete with appropriate power supplies and mounting brackets. Price does not include on location installation. Customs and associated shipping and installation costs are to be incurred by the purchaser. Please Note; additional rail footage and associated components, can be ordered for an extra charge. Please contact us for fabrication timelines and for technical assistance in determining the appropriateness for your structure and layout. As with all of our robotics exhibits this exhibit also conveys a wide variety of elements that are important to STEM education. 
Terms: 7-year warranty against defects in our workmanship; Free Life-time phone/internet technical support; Life-time parts supply sourcing for our exhibits at reasonable prices. Contact us for price information. Our Workmanship Quality! Our Terms and Warranty! Our Mission Statement! |
