A humanoid robot created by Stanford University scientists was able to dive and find King Louis XIV's wrecked ship and its treasures.
The robotic diver called OceanOne is a successful combination of artificial intelligence, haptic feedback networks and human touch, which are all key components for numerous potential applications in sea exploration and research.
Finding The Treasures
While sitting comfortably on a boat, Stanford professor Oussama Khatib was able to virtually dive to King Louis XIV's La Lune wreck, which is 100 meters or 328 feet below the Mediterranean. He was also able to collect a small vase from the site, bring it back to the boat and celebrate in triumph as he was the first human to ever touch a part of the ruins.
The most interesting part of the mission is that Khatib did not have to do anything too drastic. All he needed was a joystick.
The unconventional way of exploring the historic underwater site was made possible by controlling OceanOne, which appears to be an all-around virtual diver – one that possesses human vision, an artificial brain and haptic force feedback.
Although the trip to La Lune was just the first mission for OceanOne, Khatib hopes to embark on more challenging missions requiring high-level underwater skills that are too hazardous for human divers to perform.
"OceanOne will be your avatar," says Khatib. He adds that the goal is to allow humans to dive virtually and be free of harm. Being able to have a human-like diver without sacrificing the actual body of that diver is going to be amazing, he says.
About OceanOne
OceanOne was originally created to help study coral reefs that are situated deep in the Red Sea. Since no submarine can dive with the skills of a human, experts developed OceanOne, which has now evolved into what it is now.
The humanoid robot looks like a mermaid, with its entire body measuring 5 feet and its torso containing a head with a stereoscopic vision. It also has two connecting arms, which have force sensors that allow scientists to control the robot's grip on objects. The tail of the robot contains computers, batteries and thrusters.
Human-Robot Collaboration
Diving with OceanOne is much like diving together with actual humans, who communicate via hand gestures in performing complicated tasks or scientific experiments.
Khatib says they connect humans and robots in a highly meaningful and instinctive way. The combination of humans and robots make a great pair, with robots doing things too dangerous for humans and the human providing the necessary touch to complete the tasks efficiently.
