Human Emulation - Summary
RobotServicesGroup.com already provides details about robots to compare their performance including; price,
power, speed and degrees of freedom. But what is missing is a measure of how "good" are the robot's motions.
With our Human Emulation project, we will attempt to standardize the testing of robot motions for comparison
against humans, and other robots.
RobotServicesGroup.com already provides details about robots to compare their performance including; price,
power, speed and degrees of freedom. But what is missing is a measure of how "good" are the robot's motions.
With our Human Emulation project, we will attempt to standardize the testing of robot motions for comparison
against humans, and other robots.
| All rights reserved. |
RobotServicesGroup.com
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
NOTE: These robots are not meant for children. All of the humanoid robot models discussed on this website use
powerful servos that can pinch or even crush your fingers if you are not careful. Consult the recommended minimum
age from the manufacturer before allowing children to use any of these robots.
powerful servos that can pinch or even crush your fingers if you are not careful. Consult the recommended minimum
age from the manufacturer before allowing children to use any of these robots.
Test Platform is level side to side
TEST DEVELOPMENT:
Forward Walking
We needed to develop scientific tests to objectively measure each motion. One test of a robot's walking ability is
to simply measure how long it takes the robot to walk a certain distance. However, if we selected a set distance
for each robot to walk (like 3 feet or 1 meter), it would provide unfair advantage to robots with long legs, and
disadvantage shorter robots.
To keep the test fair, we elected to set the distance equal to three times each robot's body height. So an I-Sobot
(the shortest robot in our Survey) will need to walk 19.5 inches, but a Manoi PF01 (the tallest robot in our survey)
must cover 47.1 inches. We can then compare the time for each robot to the time for an average human, hence,
Human Emulation. The time measure starts when the robot begins to move, and ends when both feet have
crossed the finish line marking 3 body heights.
Forward Walking
We needed to develop scientific tests to objectively measure each motion. One test of a robot's walking ability is
to simply measure how long it takes the robot to walk a certain distance. However, if we selected a set distance
for each robot to walk (like 3 feet or 1 meter), it would provide unfair advantage to robots with long legs, and
disadvantage shorter robots.
To keep the test fair, we elected to set the distance equal to three times each robot's body height. So an I-Sobot
(the shortest robot in our Survey) will need to walk 19.5 inches, but a Manoi PF01 (the tallest robot in our survey)
must cover 47.1 inches. We can then compare the time for each robot to the time for an average human, hence,
Human Emulation. The time measure starts when the robot begins to move, and ends when both feet have
crossed the finish line marking 3 body heights.
 | |  | |  | |  |
|
The second measure of walking skill is how close to a straight line the robot can walk. Distance is measured as
the absolute value of the variance from a straight line. For example, if the robot strayed 10 inches to the right on
the first test, and 10 inches to the left on the second test, then the average of the absolute value would be 10
inches, not zero. We will also divide the average variance from a straight line into the robot's height to get a
percentage. Doing this should keep the score comparable between robots of different sizes. For our testing we
did not permit any course corrections during a trial. If the robot veered to one side, we just kept on walking.
Another measure of walking skill is simply the number of steps it takes for the robot to complete the distance. In
order to complete the test, both feet must completely pass the finish line.
the absolute value of the variance from a straight line. For example, if the robot strayed 10 inches to the right on
the first test, and 10 inches to the left on the second test, then the average of the absolute value would be 10
inches, not zero. We will also divide the average variance from a straight line into the robot's height to get a
percentage. Doing this should keep the score comparable between robots of different sizes. For our testing we
did not permit any course corrections during a trial. If the robot veered to one side, we just kept on walking.
Another measure of walking skill is simply the number of steps it takes for the robot to complete the distance. In
order to complete the test, both feet must completely pass the finish line.
The I-Sobot is 6.5 inches tall and has to walk 19.5 inches.
The Robonova-1 is 12.2 inches tall and has to walk 36.6 inches.
The Robonova-1 is 12.2 inches tall and has to walk 36.6 inches.
| Variance from center is measured for each test |
Which robot more closely
matches Human motions?
matches Human motions?
Test Preparation
We tested the Robonova-1 from Hitec and the I-Sobot from Tomy. Please note that there have been no
modifications made to the robots whatsoever. They are the base model as delivered directly from the
manufacturer.
We performed each test on a vinyl floor surface on a test platform that we constructed ourselves. Other
preparations included leveling the floor surface, and setting the robot's home position as accurately as possible.
If the floor was not level, or if the robot's home position was off, then we would find the robot consistently
wandering to one side or the other.
We performed each walking test 20 times to build up an average result. For the 180 Degree Turn test, we did 10
turns to the right and 10 turns to the left to make sure we weren't favoring one leg. We also switched directions
after every two tests to make sure we didn't over-use any servos through repeated use. We took video of each
test, and digital photos of the finish location to measure for the straight line walking test.
Summary results are included below:
We tested the Robonova-1 from Hitec and the I-Sobot from Tomy. Please note that there have been no
modifications made to the robots whatsoever. They are the base model as delivered directly from the
manufacturer.
We performed each test on a vinyl floor surface on a test platform that we constructed ourselves. Other
preparations included leveling the floor surface, and setting the robot's home position as accurately as possible.
If the floor was not level, or if the robot's home position was off, then we would find the robot consistently
wandering to one side or the other.
We performed each walking test 20 times to build up an average result. For the 180 Degree Turn test, we did 10
turns to the right and 10 turns to the left to make sure we weren't favoring one leg. We also switched directions
after every two tests to make sure we didn't over-use any servos through repeated use. We took video of each
test, and digital photos of the finish location to measure for the straight line walking test.
Summary results are included below:
Humans can Turn 180 Degrees very quickly and easily,
but how well can robots mimic this motion?
but how well can robots mimic this motion?
180 Degree Turn
Most humans can change directions in a few
seconds, with only a few steps, but this task can
be challenging for robots. This is especially true
if the robot lacks servos in the hips or at the
waist. We studied the same types of data we
used to measure forward walking; length of time,
variance from a starting point, and number of
steps.
Most humans can change directions in a few
seconds, with only a few steps, but this task can
be challenging for robots. This is especially true
if the robot lacks servos in the hips or at the
waist. We studied the same types of data we
used to measure forward walking; length of time,
variance from a starting point, and number of
steps.
INTERPRETATION:
Forward Walking
The Robonova-1 walked three body heights in an average time of 50.5 seconds, and the I-Sobot took 24.9
seconds to cover the same relative distance, but a human only needs 4 seconds. While neither robot comes
close to matching human performance, what we can clearly see is that the I-Sobot was almost twice as fast as the
Robonova-1! But the Robonova-1 is roughly 3 times more expensive than the I-Sobot, how can this be? The
servos on the I-Sobot are slower and have less power than the Robonova-1, and yet somehow the I-Sobot
completed our walking test substantially faster.
The secret is in the walking motion provided by the manufacturer. For the Robonova-1, the standard walking
motion allows for 3 forward steps, then the robot stops and returns to the "home" position. In contrast, the I-Sobot
can perform continuous walking, merely by pushing the joystick on the remote forward and holding it. This is
proven by the fact that each robot took almost the same number of steps to complete the test (35 vs 33.8). That
means that each stride is roughly the same length (as a % of each robot's body height). Having a continuous
walking motion allowed the I-Sobot to win the forward walking test easily.
The I-Sobt also had less variance in walking a straight line. There are two reasons for this. First, the I-Sobot
includes a gyro as standard equipment. While this does not guarantee perfect straight line walking, it does limit
the amount of variance. Second, the I-Sobot's feet are much wider than the Robonova-1. The I-Sobot's feet are
2.25 inches wide, which is roughly 35% of the robot's height. The Robonova-1's feet are 2.5 inches wide, which is
only 20% of the robot's height. This is why Robo-One competitions have strict rules regarding the size of each
robot's feet.
180 Degree Turn
The results were much closer in the 180 Degree Turn test. Each robot completed the turn in roughly the same
amount of time (17.6 seconds vs 15 seconds). This came as a surprise, since the I-Sobot comes with a
continuous turning motion, but the Robonova-1 does not. Even the variance from side-to-side was similar for
each robot (72.8% of body height vs 73.3%), as well as the number of steps (12.8 vs 12.1). The only clear
difference between robots came in the variance front-to-back where the Robonova-1 was the winner with a
variance of 12.7% of body height, while the I-Sobot varied by 52.5% of its body height.
Forward Walking
The Robonova-1 walked three body heights in an average time of 50.5 seconds, and the I-Sobot took 24.9
seconds to cover the same relative distance, but a human only needs 4 seconds. While neither robot comes
close to matching human performance, what we can clearly see is that the I-Sobot was almost twice as fast as the
Robonova-1! But the Robonova-1 is roughly 3 times more expensive than the I-Sobot, how can this be? The
servos on the I-Sobot are slower and have less power than the Robonova-1, and yet somehow the I-Sobot
completed our walking test substantially faster.
The secret is in the walking motion provided by the manufacturer. For the Robonova-1, the standard walking
motion allows for 3 forward steps, then the robot stops and returns to the "home" position. In contrast, the I-Sobot
can perform continuous walking, merely by pushing the joystick on the remote forward and holding it. This is
proven by the fact that each robot took almost the same number of steps to complete the test (35 vs 33.8). That
means that each stride is roughly the same length (as a % of each robot's body height). Having a continuous
walking motion allowed the I-Sobot to win the forward walking test easily.
The I-Sobt also had less variance in walking a straight line. There are two reasons for this. First, the I-Sobot
includes a gyro as standard equipment. While this does not guarantee perfect straight line walking, it does limit
the amount of variance. Second, the I-Sobot's feet are much wider than the Robonova-1. The I-Sobot's feet are
2.25 inches wide, which is roughly 35% of the robot's height. The Robonova-1's feet are 2.5 inches wide, which is
only 20% of the robot's height. This is why Robo-One competitions have strict rules regarding the size of each
robot's feet.
180 Degree Turn
The results were much closer in the 180 Degree Turn test. Each robot completed the turn in roughly the same
amount of time (17.6 seconds vs 15 seconds). This came as a surprise, since the I-Sobot comes with a
continuous turning motion, but the Robonova-1 does not. Even the variance from side-to-side was similar for
each robot (72.8% of body height vs 73.3%), as well as the number of steps (12.8 vs 12.1). The only clear
difference between robots came in the variance front-to-back where the Robonova-1 was the winner with a
variance of 12.7% of body height, while the I-Sobot varied by 52.5% of its body height.
CONCLUSION:
The I-Sobot is our winner for Human Emulation. It was twice as fast as the Robonova-1 and had less
variance from center in our Forward Walking Test. The 180 Degree Turn Test was roughly a draw between the
robots. The final deciding factor is the I-Sobot is nearly one-third the price of a Robonova-1. The Robonova-1
certainly has other attributes which justify it's higher price tag, like faster and more powerful servos, and the ability
to add sensors and modifications. But for our money, the better robot for Human Emulation is the I-Sobot.
The I-Sobot was able to do a better job of mimicing human motions because it came pre-loaded with continuous
walking motions, a gyro, and wide feet for better stability. Remember that the I-Sobot was released in late 2007,
but the Robonova-1 has been around since 2005. Hopefully, as new robots are launched in the market they can
build on these factors to keep improving performance. Perhaps someday, there will be a robot that can walk and
turn as quickly and as accurately as a human.
The I-Sobot is our winner for Human Emulation. It was twice as fast as the Robonova-1 and had less
variance from center in our Forward Walking Test. The 180 Degree Turn Test was roughly a draw between the
robots. The final deciding factor is the I-Sobot is nearly one-third the price of a Robonova-1. The Robonova-1
certainly has other attributes which justify it's higher price tag, like faster and more powerful servos, and the ability
to add sensors and modifications. But for our money, the better robot for Human Emulation is the I-Sobot.
The I-Sobot was able to do a better job of mimicing human motions because it came pre-loaded with continuous
walking motions, a gyro, and wide feet for better stability. Remember that the I-Sobot was released in late 2007,
but the Robonova-1 has been around since 2005. Hopefully, as new robots are launched in the market they can
build on these factors to keep improving performance. Perhaps someday, there will be a robot that can walk and
turn as quickly and as accurately as a human.
| FREE Robot Test Drive Would you like to try out the I-Sobot or the Robonova-1 for yourself? Click here to sign up for a FREE Test Drive from the comfort of your own home. |
The I-Sobot is our current
Human Emulation champion
Human Emulation champion
