Whether or not you are rooting for telepresence bots that are easy to make, replicate, and improve to become a consumer product for the masses, a company called Origin Robotics is taking a go at it, and looking for $18,000 on Indiegogo. They have 16 days to go, and are just $1,922 short of their goal.
The founder of Origin Robotics is an engineer named Richard Laboris, who has over 20 years of experience in software development, network security, and databases. His product Origibot is described as a robotic platform which couples with your Android tablet or phone and their free app to create a cool and inexpensive telepresence robot. The bot is remotely connected to the company’s cloud service, and since they use WebRTC technology, the web interface requires no additional plugins or java applets, with very little over typical broadband connections.
Users can drive around the two-way audio and video connection set on the robotic platform as use the arm and gripper to do whatever they want.
Origibot is made of aluminum extrusions and its body and arms were designed to range from being a few inches off the ground to extending above most “counters, door knobs, and refrigerator water dispensers.” Opening to 7.8 cm, the gripper comes with a “recess to accommodate cans, bottles, and cups.”
Though the prototype you see here is mounted with a Samsung Galaxy 3 tablet, if the campaign is successful, the updated tablet mount will accommodate any android phone or tablet with up to a 10″ display.
Components that needed to be customized were designed to be 3D printed in ABS, and all design files will be made available to backers of the Indiegogo campaign. As explained on the campaign page:
Origibot was built using off-the-shelf components including standard and high-torque hobby servos, standard T-Slot aluminum framing, and an Arduino for control. All custom components are 3D Printed and .stl files will be available for download so you can modify and print replacements yourself. Its Arduino sketch will also be available so you can add custom commands and tweak parameters yourself. The Origibot forum will become a community where fellow enthusiasts can share and collaborate on ideas and enhancements.
Using 3D printing to speed up the design process by shortening the iterative cycle is great to see in action. Though Origibot’s parts were sourced with preference given to standard parts when possible, using a 3D printer allowed Richard and his team to print hundreds of parts for testing and redesign.
I can’t help thinking about the Origibot being misused to automatically pinch people, but I like the uses Origin Robotics depicts in the campaign, including helping people around the house.
