Use T-Skin to Control an Arduino Humanoid Robot's Arms

Hello! we are here to tell you about The Tactigon team new progress, we are not able to "stand still" on a project.

We've upgraded our previously created project of robot control by adding another Tactigon Skin to manage both arms of the robot, while keeping previous implemented actions - like walking and making bows. T-Skin is man-machine interface revolution. It’s the first programmable fashion design hand band and It’s not only a device for specialized and technology passionate people but it’s the real extension of the hand. Hand is our natural interface with real world, and with T-SKIN it becomes our interface with digital world.

You can download the APP and T-SKIN from our store and it will turn into a man-machine interface, or a robot controller or a drone controller. It is very easy to use thanks to the ergonomics form factor; one application can be the use of T-SKIN during company presentation or a training course. T-SKIN has 4 programmable key for different combination of hand movements and fingers. 

1.1 Things used in this project

1.1.1 Hardware

- N.2 Tactigon Skin

- N.1 Arduino Leonardo

- N.2 Bluetooth Low Energy

- N.1 Humanoid Robot

1.1.2 Software

- Processing

- Arduino IDE

1.2 How did we manage it?

The humanoid robot has an Arduino Leonardo inside, and this time we have installed two Bluetooth Low Energy modules on the "backpack." The Tactigon board is inside its T-Skin hand band, providing 8 command buttons and an ergonomic case for both hands!

System

We used two Bluetooth low energy module connected to Arduino Leonardo. We connected two T-Skin (as central role) to the two Bluetooth Low Energy modules (peripheral role) installed on the humanoid’s backpack.

Bluetooth Low Energy architecture is based on two roles for the devices:

Central Role and Peripheral Role. A Central Role device can subscribe to Peripheral Role Device’s characteristic, the name of the resource exposed. A Characteristic can be read only or read/write. It contains the data to be send.

The Tactigon, and T-Skin, can act either as Central Role and Peripheral Mode.

The systems is able to follow the movement of the human hand and transpose this movement in equivalent movement of the robot arms: right and left. This means if you move the hand clockwise the robot arm follow the movement by moving shoulder and elbow with a more natural effect.

Future Implementation

For this project, we used only T-SKIN but is possible to integrate the system with other Tactigon board, for instance placed on elbow, to avoid interpolation of the movement and follow the action of the controlling arm!