Tobor
A 12ft tall robot arm controlled by a haptic feedback glove
Duration
6 weeks
Team
Brian Feldman, Tim Dodge, Anthony Lucrezi, Michael Brolly, Jeff Boerner
Role
Project initiator, haptics designer
Overview:
Building on the success of Waldo, I decided to try something bigger.
I built a 12ft tall robot arm controlled by a haptic feedback glove with friends for the 2015 Bay Area Maker Faire in just 6 weeks. I applied on a whim and everyone jumped in to design and build “Tobor” from scratch in a crazy sprint, finally driving him by car from Pennsylvania to California in three days. Each person brought unique skills to the project and was responsible for different aspects of the design. We shared an incredible experience working and learning together, and the project generated so much creative energy that the group continues to exhibit Tobor mutations at each Maker Faire. Nothing draws a crowd like the chance to pilot a giant robot!
Recognition:
http://www.wfmz.com/news/lehigh-valley/tobor-the-fab-a-saur-wins-big-in-california/523393113
http://go.activecalendar.com/fablab/event/tobor-the-fab-lab-robot/
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/northampton-county/2017/06/meet_tobor_northampton_communi.html
https://www.northampton.edu/news/tobor-the-fabasaur-wins-again.htm
Tobor has also won a raft of Maker Faire editor’s choice ribbons, winning six at his first exhibition!
Haptic Feedback Glove
In addition to ring leading and helping coordinate the designs of the other subsystems, I made and coded the haptic feedback control glove. It incorporated bend sensors in the fingers and accelerometers on the hand and forearm to allow Tobor to mimic the driver’s motion. The design also provided true force feedback via thin piano wire in the fingers that was pulled by a servo in proportion to the force with which Tobor’s hand was gripping an object (the glove also included vibrating motors in the fingertips for additional sensation). The glove electronics were self-contained, with processing and power handled by an Arduino Pro Micro and tiny lithium polymer battery. I laid out the whole package compactly enough to fit in a pocket on the back of the glove.
The Xbee wireless control from the glove initially introduced a fair amount of latency into the system, which produced some amusing results in early testing:
One of the team members made a funny little video documenting the project, which you can see here: https://youtu.be/3_5asn6ovgM
Update
Tobor continues to evolve and make appearances at Makefaires and Northhampton publicity events. He currently has a wheeled base that allows him to drive around and also sports a clever articulating dinosaur skin designed by Lisa Glover and Michael Brolly.
