AsianScientist (Nov. 16, 2016) – What do you get when you combine a telepresence robot with a flying drone? That may not have been a question you might have asked, but researchers from the Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy at KAIST now have the answer anyway: A robot drone man.
A team led by Professor Bae Ilhan have placed a Kubi telepresence robot on top of a DJI S1000 octocopter, creating a flying, life-sized humanoid robot that can interact with people at remote locations and give users a virtual flight experience. At a height of 1.4 meters, the robot drone man is designed to match the eye level of people it interacts with.
“As a futurist, I forecast that drone technology will soon evolve to become another body for humans, and I wanted to demonstrate this potential application of drones. Avatar drones are especially useful for people who need to meet or manage other people face to face in remote locations,” said Bae.
Bae added that the avatar drone is a new application of drone and robotics technology, extending human’s presence and mobility beyond the limit of physical capabilities. For example, when elderly people with physical disabilities want to engage in social gatherings, this avatar drone could help them just do that, he continued.
Bae has even made a promotional video for the robot drone man, parodying the pen pineapple apple pen song that recently went viral.
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Source: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Photo: Bae Ilhan/KAIST.
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