OperaBots Overview

The Operobot project is a system which allows the precise control of a group of omnidirectional mobile robots in real time based on a 3D animation. The current system, which controls the position and brightness of three cube shaped robots, is a proof of concept for what will ultimately be a large scale component of an opera entitled Death and the Powers.
 

OperaBots – Video

This video shows both the animated and real robots controlled by an animation created by Fardad Faridi. The animation is based on a piece of music written by Tod Machover and story-boarded by Fardad Faridi.
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OperaBots – System Details

operabot1The system as it exists now is not meant to be a final product, but a proof of concept for a much larger system controlling 30-40 mobile robots. Our intention was to explore three main questions to determine the feasibility of this large scale robotic control problem and its relation to the opera.
1. Can we get suitably precise and reliable positioning using the Vicon tracking system?
2. Is it feasible to choreograph the movements many robots using a 3D animation?
3. Can we imbue simple robots with interesting and compelling behavior suitable for a stage performance?
Thus far we have had success with all of these issues and are beginning to test the system on a larger scale.
 

OperaBots – Future Work

operabot2We are currently extending the system to include a real-time, multi-robot obstacle avoidance system. This will allow the entire group to continually move in the spirit of the animation while avoiding collisions with dynamic obstacles or human perfomers. Our goal is for the system to support planned movements as well as rich interaction based on the dynamic movements of the actors on stage.
 
 

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    Publications

    • Adam Setapen. Creating Robotic Characters for Long-Term Interaction. Masters thesis, MIT.Readers: Cynthia Breazeal, Rosalind Picard, David DeSteno.

    This is a big call out!

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      Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam rhoncus adipiscing malesuada. Ut ligula dui, condimentum pellentesque auctor at, eleifend eu eros. Cras viverra gravida erat egestas imperdiet. Pellentesque commodo, ante eget feugiat feugiat, lectus nunc mollis nisl, ac lobortis nisl enim vel tortor. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam rhoncus adipiscing malesuada. Ut ligula dui, condimentum pellentesque auctor at, eleifend eu eros. Cras viverra gravida erat egestas imperdiet. Pellentesque commodo, ante eget feugiat feugiat, lectus nunc mollis nisl, ac lobortis nisl enim vel tortor.

      Publications

      • Adam Setapen. Creating Robotic Characters for Long-Term Interaction. Masters thesis, MIT.Readers: Cynthia Breazeal, Rosalind Picard, David DeSteno.

      This is a big call out!