The Italian Institute of Technology
(IIT) is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its foundation with
a new humanoid robot that is a 'friend' of workers.
The new robot is called ergoCub and is based on the same
platform as the iCub humanoid child.
It was designed with special attention to ergonomics in order to
facilitate integration into work environments and physical
cooperation with people.
Created from a five-million-euro three-year project launched
with workplace-accidents-and-illness-insurance agency Inail in
2021, it made its official debut at IIT's Auditorium in Genoa.
ErgoCub is 150 centimeters high, weighs 55.7 kilos, its hands
are optimized to carry heavy loads and its flexible Oled display
enables it to have more expressive interactions.
It also has a special camera for depth vision and lidar for
navigation.
It has a stronger stride than the previous versions of iCub and
can reach a walk speed of around three kilometers an hour,
comparable with that of a human being.
Artificial intelligence enables it to visually identify objects
and actions and to handle an object with both hands in work
settings where cooperation with a human being is required.
For example, ergoCub can tell when someone wants to hand it an
object, take that object with its hands and give it back to the
person when necessary.
The ergoCub technology is completed with a sensor suit
(including a pair of shoes) to monitor that efforts of the body
movements of the wearer in real time.
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