Canterbury students develop a personal robot to improve
quality of life
July 11, 2014
A group of
University of Canterbury students are developing a personal
robot with the aim of bringing robotics to people to improve
quality of life.
Psychology PhD student Kyle Wilson,
physics and finance graduate Owen Flanagan and electrical
engineering graduate Luke Schwartfeger are the co-founders
of the SelfieBot company and its first personal robot.
``In the future we see drones as becoming almost
ubiquitous. They could be used for tasks such as home
surveillance, accompanying people on jogs and walking you
home after dark,’’ Wilson says.
``We recognise the
potential drones have to benefit our lives in the near
future. Most drone applications are industrial or commercial
but we believe there are massive possibilities in the area
of personal robotics.’’
The team are carrying out
substantial testing, which is playing a vital role in
dictating any changes made to the engineering of the device,
as well as future direction of the product. Wilson says his
research demonstrates that University of Canterbury students
can be at the forefront of the technological revolution in
New Zealand, regardless of the field their degree is
from.
``While there are drones that can follow people
on a jog, none so far can reliably follow someone indoors
without crashing into a wall or objects. We believe we have
the solution. Our SelfieBot product is a small camera drone
which we think can change the way personal photographs are
taken.
``No piloting is required. The user simply
places the SelfieBot in the air like a floating camera and
it can hold its position. The SelfieBot can change the way
in which selfies are taken. Selfies will no longer be
restricted by an arm’s length. They will effectively be
hands-free and can include more people in a picture and who
can do more than just pose at a close-up range,’’ Wilson
says.
SelfieBot - the company - is an active member
of University of Canterbury Innovators for bright business
ideas and is working out of The Hatchery entrepreneur centre
run by Dr Rachel Wright. The students are just a month away
from having a functional prototype and they are planning to
use Kickstarter later in the year to crowd-fund the
SelfieBot.
``If we are successful this will be a great
for New Zealand business. Confidence from overseas and New
Zealand national investors means we will spend their money
in New Zealand rather than on overseas ventures.
Psychology is a science that powerfully contributes to
the future of New Zealand. Value-added products must be
those that appeal to the end-users, the public, and
psychology is a critical ingredient in the design process.
Wilson is using that knowledge to help the engineering and
commerce students in their development of the personal
robot.
Wilson’s supervisor Professor Deak Helton
says psychology training is helpful to an electronics
hardware start-up because understanding human behaviour and
capabilities is the best way to design products, equipment
and systems for effective, satisfying, and safe use.
``This is an excellent example of how psychology training
can result in awesome innovation and help move New Zealand
forward,” Professor Helton says.
``This may
encourage students who think innovation is only about
engineering and do not grasp that fields like psychology
have a massive role to play in the development of user
friendly products which will appeal to the market.’’
ends