Robot Waiter Developed by Middle School Students under the Guidance of Technion Researchers Wins “Best Humanoid Robot” in an International Contest

30A robot waiter developed by middle school students of Haifa Municipal School C under the guidance of researchers from the Technion Department of Education in Technology and Science, has won the “Best Humanoid Robot” title in an international contest which took place in Connecticut, USA.

The project took place as part of the doctorate of Dan Cuperman, who enlisted also the help of his son, Amit. Dan began his professional path as a practical electronics engineer, graduate of the Bosmat Technical High School. He served for five years in MAMRAM, IDF’s Computing and Information Systems Center, and has worked since in the computer company Memorex. At the age of 33 he began studying at the Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. When he presented his final project at the MadaTech Museum of Science, he met Prof. Igor Verner of the Technion Department of Education in Technology and Science. Prof. Verner saw his intense desire to teach, and proposed that he join the Department. Dan began his graduate studies in the Department of Education in Technology and Science two years later. “I did it for the soul, and to contribute to the community, not jut to make a living”, he says.

His grade average was 97, and so he accepted the suggestion of his advisor, Prof. Verner, that he proceed to do a doctorate on the subject: “Use of Robotic Models in Technology and Science Education”. He then presented a challenge to his students in Municipal School C in Naveh Shaanan, Haifa: “build a system which mimics one that exists in nature”.

“Since the year 2000, the Roboner contest has been taking place in Israel – a fire-fighting home robots contest”, says Prof Verner. “The contest was the initiative of a former student of mine, today a Ph.D., Eli Kolberg. The winners of this contest participate in the international contest in Connecticut, USA. Three years ago, the RoboWaiter competition was added to the contest in the USA, the object of which is to create a robot that will serve a disabled person at his home, will go to the refrigerator, take food and carry it to that person. It is required to overcome obstacles in its way. To date the participants were robots on wheels, but the user accepts a humanoid robot better, and so we developed a ‘human’ robot waiter, which is a far more difficult challenge than a robot on wheels. The robot developed by Dan, Amit and the students has 18 motors, it is not as stable as the robot on wheels and is difficult to steer, and has to maintain its orientation in space so that it would walk straight. This is a project for excellent students, one which brings out the creativity in them”.

When Amit joined he added to the robot some sensors, a compass and a camera that can identify colors (the table on which the plate is placed in the contest is marked with red lights).

“The walk through open space is a complex challenge, so we added the compass”, explains Amit, who worked on the robot with six 9th grade students.

In the contest itself, “ED” (the robot was named Technion Ed, short for Education) encountered several surprises, such as a floor that was painted only two hours before the contest, which made it difficult for “ED” to walk on it, or electromagnetic disturbances which interfered with the compass, so “ED” walked along the walls.

Prof. Verner adds that the emotional aspect was well felt in the contest. The spectators loved “ED” and said that he is “cute”, something they did not do when a robot on wheels appeared before them. When “ED” dropped the plate he carried, a great sigh was heard from the audience.

“ED” won a special prize – “Best Humanoid Robot”, and even received an especially fat “tip” – 1000 dollars.

Above: Dan Cuperman, the robot “ED” and the students (from right to left) Yarin Frenkel, Omer Shoshan and Omer Zamir. Photo: Technion Spokesman