Shenzhen, China – On Jun 28th Ai.Frame launched a Kickstarter campaign for their new open-source, miniature humanoid robot. Since then, the team has managed to attract over $15,000 in pledges from 56 backers and media attention ranging from coverage on the industry leading ‘Makezine’ and CNBC.
“Ai.Frame caught my eye because of all the cool moves the robots do, although turning around becomes a surprisingly difficult option for a walking robot.” – MAKE
The Ai.Frame robot is powered by smart servos and sophisticated sensors, which allow the robot to be controlled by an upper-body control suit. With 16 degrees of freedom and the Rex has 9, the Ai.Frame can walk, dance, shoot rubber bands, or engage in combat.
Although the product comes pre-programmed with 10 different motions, users can program over 300 distinct motions with the company’s free Android/iOS app. Experienced users can program the robot with a PC, implement voice recognition, or manage it with an Arduino compatible joystick controller.
Finally, the Ai.Frame’s built-in Roadblock Avoidance and Auto-Standing features ensure that the robot maintains durability with continued use. The infrared sensor and an ultra-sonic sensor working along with the mini Arduino help the Ai.Frame avoid any obstacles in its way and adjust positions accordingly. The auto-standing features derive from a gyro sensor that ensures that if the robot falls, it will automatically pick itself up – and do so in less than five seconds.
“As experienced engineers, we have a thorough understand of robot configuration and construction, and we incorporated rich body details into the Ai.Frame to simulate the structure of the human body” – Ai.Frame team.
The team behind the project includes two mechanical/electrical engineers Jiaqi Hu and Zebo Sun, who both graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology in China and have received several academic achievement awards.
With 17 days left on the campaign, Kickstarter supporters have the chance to own a Ai.Frame robot and perks like a “custom engraved message” or the “preassembled wearable controller.” For more information, check out the Kickstarter or contact the creators using the information below.
