Self-balancing robot having a shaft-mounted head

Mobile self-balancing robots for telepresence are provided. The robots comprise a base, a head, and a shaft therebetween. The shaft can be telescoping to allow the head to be extended above the base to about the height of a normal sized person, or can be retracted to make the robot more compact for easier storage and transportation. The head includes components for telepresence such as cameras, a speaker, a microphone, a laser pointer, and a display screen, as well as protection from impacts and falls. The base provides locomotion and balance, and a narrow shaft between the head and base minimizes the robot's weight and reduces the likelihood of collisions with protrusions like table edges.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/242,532 filed on Sep. 30, 2008 and entitled “Self-Balancing Robot including Flexible Waist,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of robotics and more particularly to mobile self-balancing robots.

2. Related Art

Telepresence refers to the remote operation of a robotic system through the use of a human interface. Telepresence allows an operator of the robotic system to perceive aspects of the environment in which the robotic system is located, without having to physically be in that environment. Telepresence has been used, for example, by doctors to perform medical operations without being present in the operating room with the patient, or by military personnel to inspect a bomb.

Robotic systems that provide telepresence capabilities are either fixed in a particular location, or provide a degree of mobility. Of those that provide mobility, however, the forms tend to be close to the ground and built on wide, heavy, platforms with three or more legs or wheels for stability. These systems, in short, lack a generally upright human form, and accordingly, an operator cannot perceive and/or navigate the remote environment from a natural upright perspective with the normal range of motion and mobility one would have if actually present in the remote environment.

SUMMARY

An exemplary robot of the present invention comprises a base supported on wheels, a head joined to the base by a shaft extending therebetween, and a control system configured to maintain balance of the robotic system on the wheels. The shaft can comprise carbon fiber or fiberglass, for example. In various embodiments, the base includes a retractable tail. The tail is retracted for normal operation, but can be extended to form a tripod with the wheels on which the robot can rest stably. In some instances, the tail comprises a lead screw. In various embodiments the robot weighs no more than 30 pounds.

Various embodiments of the robot comprise one or more of a forward-facing camera aimed essentially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the shaft, a down camera aimed towards the ground in front of the robot, a remotely controllable laser pointer, a microphone, and a display screen. The head can also comprise impact protection such as eleastomeric mountings and a circumferential bumper. In some embodiments, the forward-facing camera and the laser pointer arranged side-by-side to resemble eyes.

Various embodiments of the robot comprise a telescoping shaft, and in some of these embodiments the shaft includes a helical coiled cord comprising communications and/or power lines. In some instances a width of the shaft is between about 1 inch and 4 inches. In some of the embodiments in which the shaft is extendable, the robot stands no more than 6 feet tall when the shaft is fully extended and stands about 2 feet tall when the shaft is fully retracted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to mobile self-balancing robots characterized by a generally human-like upright posture, and robotic systems that include such robots in combination with other components, such as remote operating systems for providing telepresence. The robots of the present invention are human-like in that they are mobile, include a “head” and a generally upright posture with the head positioned at the top, and include a balancing control system for maintaining the upright posture. The human-like nature of the robots can also include a general resemblance of the head to a human head in terms of size, shape, placement of components to resemble eyes, and so forth. The human-like nature of the robots can further include a height of the robot when balancing that is within the range of normal adult heights.

More specifically, the robot of the present invention comprises three basic components, a base for providing mobility and maintaining balance, a head principally for providing telepresence capabilities, and a shaft joining the head to the base to keep the head elevated over the base. In operation, the base can propel the robot while self-balancing on the wheels, and when operation is complete the base can transition to a resting configuration. The shaft can be telescoping so that the height of the head can be adjusted within a certain range, and so that the robot can be collapsed to a compact configuration for storage and transportation. The head includes features to provide impact resiliency so that the head is able to withstand collisions, including striking the floor in a fall.

The mobility and upright posture make the robots of the present invention suitable for telepresence and other applications. For example, a person can control a robot remotely using a user interface to navigate the robot and can use cameras and a microphone in the head to receive video and audio from the perspective of a person of normal height. Robots of the invention can also include components that allow the person to communicate through the robot, such as a speaker, a video display screen, and/or a laser pointer. Robotic systems of the present invention can be particularly useful for the mobility impaired, for those not wishing to travel, people seeking to hide their appearance or identity, and so forth.

FIGS. 1 and 2show front and side views, respectively, of an exemplary robot100of the present invention. The robot100comprises a base110, a head120, and a shaft130. As can be seen fromFIGS. 1 and 2, the head120has an anthropomorphic form, having a general resemblance to a human head. Overall, the robot100also has an anthropomorphic form, having a general resemblance to a human with an upright posture and a head on top, as well as an ability to move and maintain balance. In some embodiments, the weight of the robot is no more than 30 pounds.

The base110optionally includes a tail140, seen inFIG. 2, which is retractable into the base110, in some embodiments.FIG. 1does not show the tail140, illustrating both those embodiments in which the tail140is retractable, as well as those embodiments that omit the tail140.

The base110also includes two wheels150, disposed on opposite sides of the base110. The wheels150can comprise aluminum or plastic, for example. In various embodiments the wheels150include tires that are formed of non-marking rubber. The base110is configured to be able to balance in place on the wheels150, to move the robot100to different locations while balancing on the wheels150, as well as enter a resting state in which the robot100is no longer self-balancing. An exemplary resting state is the one shown inFIG. 2where the wheels150and tail140comprise a tripod on which the robot100can rest. In some embodiments, the base120is no more than 28 inches wide and 16 inches long, where the width is the distance between the wheels150inFIG. 1and the length is measured parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the width when the robot100is balancing.

The shaft130joins the head120to the base110. Suitable materials for the shaft130include carbon fiber composites and fiberglass. These materials provide good stiffness, light weight, and fail catastrophically rather than plastically. Other suitable materials include metals such as aluminum alloys, and plastics. In some embodiments, the shaft130is configured to be telescoping, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2(see alsoFIG. 8for the fully retracted configuration).

FIG. 3shows a cross-sectional view through a portion of an exemplary shaft130. Within the shaft130, the shaft130can include power and communication lines. One or more power lines permit electrical power transmission between the base110and the head120, while one or more communications lines permit data to be transmitted between the base110and the head120. Optionally, communication between the head120and the base110can be achieved wirelessly, such as by using Bluetooth technology. In some embodiments, the various lines within the shaft130are bundled together with a common cord300, and in some of these embodiments the cord300is characterized by having a helical coil shape, as illustrated inFIG. 3. It will be appreciated that such a coiled cord300can stretch and contract in response to changes in the length of the shaft130.

In some embodiments, the shaft130is telescoping, and in some of these embodiments the height of the robot100is no more than 6 feet when the shaft130is fully extended, where the height is measured from the ground to the top of the head120when the robot100is balanced on the wheels150. Also, in some embodiments, the height of the robot100is about two feet when the shaft130is fully retracted (seeFIG. 8). In various embodiments, the shaft130has a maximum width of about 4 inches. In other embodiments, the shaft130has a minimum width of about 1 inch. One advantage of the shaft130is that it provides the robot100with a narrow cross-section between the head120and base110, making it less likely that the robot100will strike protruding table edges, railings, and the like.

FIG. 4shows a cross-sectional view through an exemplary embodiment of the base110. The base110comprises a housing400including, for example, an internal layer of aluminum or steel sheet metal to which the components within the base110are mounted. In some embodiments, the housing400additionally includes an exterior cladding, such as of molded plastic, enclosing the internal layer. The shaft130extends through the housing400and is mounted within the base110. Likewise, the tail140also extends through the housing400. A motor (not shown) within the base110is configured to extend and retract the tail140. In some embodiments the tail140comprises a linear actuator such as a lead screw.

The base110includes an axle410that also extends through the housing400and to which the wheels150are attached. The base110also includes one or more motors (not shown) configured to rotate the axle410to turn the wheels150. The base110further includes one or more batteries420to power the motor and the electronics of the robot100. Some embodiments of the robot100optionally include a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system430in the base110for determining the distances to objects for collision avoidance.

The robot100also includes electronic systems, denoted generally as electronics440, to maintain balance, control movement, avoid collisions, and optionally to provide services such as telepresence, for example. Electronics440can comprise, for instance, a microprocessor in communication with a memory device storing instructions that can direct the microprocessor to perform these services. Alternatively, some or all of these services can be provided by electronics440that comprises firmware. The electronics440may be disposed within the base110, the head120, or distributed across both.

Electronics440can additionally comprise external communications interfaces to connect to one or more networks such as cellular networks, Bluetooth networks, and wireless networks like WiFi networks to provide connectivity between the robot110and a remote operator. The electronics440can also provide internal communications interfaces to provide connectivity between the external communications interfaces and communication devices like the speaker550, microphone560, video screen540, and laser pointer530(seeFIG. 5). In some embodiments, the electronics440includes various sensory electronics, for example, the LIDAR system430, a balance sensor for maintaining balance, and a position sensor such as GPS system to spatially locate the robot100. The electronics440is also in communication with, and controls, the motor and the tail140. The electronics440can also comprise internal systems for monitoring battery life, taking autonomous emergency actions, and so forth. The electronics440can also further comprise an ultracapacitor system that can provide emergency power sufficient to bring the robot100to a stop and then to a rest configuration, such as balanced on a tripod formed by the wheels150and tail140, if communication with the remote operator is dropped, or the batteries420are depleted or disconnected.

Suitable systems and methods for maintaining balance, controlling movement, providing communications and telepresence, collision avoidance, and the like are generally well known in the art. Some examples of electronics440, including control systems for maintaining balance of self-balancing robots100, are also provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/242,532, noted above, and additionally U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/255,816 filed on Oct. 22, 2008 and entitled “Self-Balancing Robot including an Ultracapacitor Power Source,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/258,268 filed on Oct. 24, 2008 and entitled “Remotely Controlled Self-Balancing Robot Including Kinematic Image Stabilization,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/277,872 filed on Nov. 25, 2008 and entitled “Remotely Controlled Self-Balancing Robot including a Stabilized Laser Pointer,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/350,063 filed on Jan. 7, 2009 and entitled “Robot Including Electrically Activated Joints,” each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 5shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the head120. The head120comprises a housing500including, for example, an internal layer of aluminum or steel sheet metal to which the components within the head120can be mounted. In some embodiments, the housing500includes an exterior cladding, for instance made of molded plastic, enclosing the internal layer. The head120additionally comprises a circumferential bumper510, discussed further below with respect toFIG. 7, and optionally any or all of a camera520, a laser pointer530, a display screen540, a speaker550, and a microphone560. The microphone560can be a noise-cancelling microphone, in some instances.

The camera520can be used to provide video to a remote operator from the perspective of a standing human of generally normal height. Likewise, the microphone560can provide audio to the remote operator from the same perspective. Some embodiments of the robot100include, in addition to the camera520, a down camera (seeFIG. 6). In various embodiments the head120also optionally includes an illumination source and/or signal lights (not shown). The laser pointer530can be controlled by the remote operator through the electronics440to allow the robot100to gesture, such as by pointing to objects within the field of view of the camera520. Still images and video content can be displayed on the display screen540by the electronics440while audio content can be provided through the speaker550. Such content can be provided by the remote operator through electronics440.

FIG. 6shows a perspective view of the components within an exemplary embodiment of the head120. Essentially,FIG. 6shows the embodiment ofFIG. 5without the housing500. The laser pointer530includes a laser600and optics610configured to direct the laser beam from the laser600through a lens in the housing500. Exemplary laser pointers530are described in more detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/277,872. Also shown inFIG. 6, though not visible inFIG. 5, is a down camera620. The down camera620is aimed so as to provide a view of the ground in front of the base110so that an operator can avoid low obstacles in the path of the robot100. A field of view of the down camera620, in some embodiments, includes both a region in front of the robot100and a region behind the robot100. The view behind can be useful, for example, when backing the robot100such as when manually docking the robot100with a docking station for recharging. In various embodiments, the display screen540is mounted within the head120using elastomeric mounts630. The elastomeric mounts630provide shock resistance to the video screen540.

The robot100of the present invention can comprise various components that provide impact protection against bumps and falls. Examples include elastomeric mounts630and the bumper510.FIG. 7shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the housing500that includes the bumper510. In some embodiments, the bumper510is disposed within a recess in the housing500. The bumper510helps the robot500withstand collisions and falls. Suitable materials for the bumper510include rubber, silicone or polyurethane foam. The bumper510, in some embodiments, comprises a continuous ring around the head510that may be, for example, about 12 inches in diameter and about 1.5 inches thick.

FIG. 8shows a front view of the robot100ofFIG. 1with the head120retracted by collapsing the telescoping shaft130. This compact configuration provides for easier storage and transportation.