ROB / Assistance Robot Race
RSL
Switzerland
About the Team
The team is composed of the Robotic Systems Lab (RSL), a robotics lab at ETH Zurich, and our pilot, Sammy Kunz.
The Robotic Systems Lab investigates the development of machines and their intelligence to operate in complex and challenging environments. With a large focus on robots with arms and legs, our research includes novel actuation methods for advanced dynamic interaction, innovative designs for increased system mobility and versatility, and new control and optimization algorithms for locomotion and manipulation. We see the CYBATHLON challenge as a great opportunity to put the technology we have been developing at the service of society.
RSL
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ETH Zurich
Switzerland
About the Pilot
The robot is piloted by Samuel Kunz.
Samuel resides in Frauenfeld, his birthplace and hometown. He pursued mechanical engineering studies in Winterthur and currently works at Levitronix GmbH. Ten years ago, he was involved in a swimming accident and has been living his life as a tetraplegic since then.
Samuel is participating in CYBATHLON as a pilot for the second time but for the first time in the ROB category. He sees the CYBATHLON as an exciting opportunity to indulge his interest in cutting-edge technology.
About the Device
Our platform ALMA (Articulated Locomotion and MAnipulation) is built on the ANYmal robot from ANYbotics. We adapt it by mounting an in-house built Dynaarm robotic arm on top and a set of sensors (a 3D camera and a force-torque sensor). The device is a generic mobile manipulation platform that can serve as an assistance platform for everyday tasks.
The interface consists of a joystick and voice commands with which the pilot can control the robot. We have a mouth-operated joystick (https://www.quadstick.com/). We also integrate the option of giving high-level voice commands, which makes for the most intuitive human-like interaction with the robot.