Oculus Rift and Kinect used to power robot arm for NASA

By Adam Rosenberg Published December 31, 2013

Pairing an Oculus Rift headset with the latest version of Microsoft’s motion-sensing Kinect camera is the virtual reality-driven dream of every gamer, but NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has some more practical applications in mind. Specifically, the headset and the camera have been paired to work in tandem as a control interface for a robotic arm. All of this happened in a testing lab, but it’s the first step toward creating a reliable remote control framework for robots operating in environments that are hostile to unprotected humans, like outer space.

The experiment was a success, with the enhancements of the second-gen Kinect offering a greater degree of articulation and precision for the user while an Oculus Rift provided a first-person, head-tracked perspective. It might seem unusual to see a government agency known for investing in multi-billion dollar research and exploration projects to use consumer components whose combined cost falls well below $1,000, but NASA thinkers see potential in this outside-the-box approach.

Recommended Videos

“We’re building partnerships with commercial companies that make devices that maybe first and foremost weren’t built for space exploration,” Human Interfaces Engineer Victor Luo tells Engadget. “Doing so helps us get a whole lot more done for space exploration than if we were starting everything from scratch. It also means we could build systems that could be available to the general public. Imagine how inspirational it would be for a 7-year-old to control a space robot with the tools he’s already familiar with!”

Follow the link above to read more from the folks at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and be sure to check out the video below for a closer look at the robot arm experiment.

Former Gaming/Movies Editor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Topics

Emerging Tech

Thanks to AI, a Chinese startup has figured out the priciest fusion energy bottleneck

Artificial Intelligence

For decades, fusion energy has been the ultimate promise of clean energy. It’s the process that powers the sun, capable of producing enormous amounts of energy without the carbon emissions associated with fossil fuels. Scientists have spent generations trying to recreate it on Earth, convinced that if they can make it work at scale, it could fundamentally reshape the world’s energy future. The problem is that fusion is incredibly difficult, not just from a scientific perspective, but from an economic one. Building and testing experimental reactors costs vast amounts of money, and progress often comes through a frustrating cycle of trial and error. Researchers develop a theory, build hardware to test it, gather data, tweak the design, and repeat the process. Sometimes that cycle takes years. Now, a Chinese startup called VeloAlpha believes artificial intelligence could help break that pattern.

Founded earlier this year by fusion scientist Xie Huasheng, the Beijing-based company is developing FusionAlpha, a simulation platform that lets researchers test fusion reactor designs digitally before committing to expensive physical experiments. It may not sound as exciting as a giant reactor generating limitless clean power. But if VeloAlpha’s technology delivers on its promise, it could end up solving one of fusion’s most expensive and persistent challenges.

Emerging Tech

3D printed batteries could solve the battery anxiety for your gadgets

Batteries are finally thinking outside the box, thanks to 3D printing

Smartphone battery

For years, battery innovation has largely focused on chemistry. Companies have chased longer-lasting lithium-ion cells, safer solid-state batteries, and cheaper materials. But a quieter revolution is now gaining momentum, and it could fundamentally change how batteries are designed, manufactured, and integrated into devices.

Instead of improving what goes inside a battery, a growing number of startups and researchers are trying to change the battery itself through 3D printing. The idea is simple yet ambitious: create batteries that can fit into virtually any shape or structure rather than being limited to traditional cylindrical or pouch designs.

Computing

The Sashimi robot is real and it doesn’t fumble at slicing and dicing

Three arms, a GelSight sensor, and surprisingly clean chopstick work.

Laboratory, Robot

Robots can pick up boxes, sort packages, and screw in bolts without breaking a sweat. Some of them can even walk and run like humans. Hand one a floppy, slippery piece of raw salmon, though, and everything starts falling apart.

A team at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology set out to solve that problem. The result is the Sashimi-Bot, a three-armed robot that can prepare sashimi from a raw salmon loin without a chef in sight.