The Bachelor in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence gives students plenty of opportunities to develop pract ical skills. In the IE Robotics & AI Lab, Vera, Gregorio and Rodrigo found all the resources and cutting-edge equipment they needed to create IE University’s first robot dog.
Botzo is the result of months of collaborative efforts and iterative testing. The quadruped robot prototype is a 2-Degree-of-Freedom (2-DoF) system that’s built upon Arduino technology. Through the power of inverse kinematics, Botzo moves dynamically, and increasingly realistically.
The project structure
Vera, Gregorio and Rodrigo were inspired by the successes of other engineers around the world to create their own robot dog. But more than satisfying their intellectual curiosity, they wanted to democratize knowledge, making the process of developing a robot more accessible in the hope of inspiring more students to get into the field of AI and robotics.
To this end, they kicked off the project with a round of information gathering. The team compiled relevant information that was previously scattered in different publications and project notes, consolidating knowledge to streamline the process for future innovators.
Another motivation was their desire to solve the problem of cost-efficiency in robotics design and development. By incorporating innovative tools and open-source hardware and software, they hoped to successfully develop a quadruped robot prototype that was functional, efficient and affordable.
Creating Botzo
Botzo is the culmination of all their collaborative efforts. Vera, Gregorio and Rodrigo immersed themselves fully into every technical detail of the project, from conceptualization to prototyping and testing in the real world.
The first of its kind at IE University, Botzo is an automated, mobile robot dog with basic dynamic walking capabilities. Its 2-DoF system utilizes Arduino technology and inverse kinematics, and is housed in a strong plastic casing fabricated using the latest 3D-printing equipment.
The team harnessed a wide range of technologies to make Botzo fully functional, including:
- Arduino processors for real-time processing.
- Rechargeable battery, independent to optimize functionality.
- Inverse kinematics to calculate precise joint movements, enabling Botzo to walk in a dynamic, lifelike manner.
- Gait planning, facilitating efficient, natural movements.
- Remote control functionalities, making Botzo more accessible and user-friendly.
- 3D printing to construct hardware according to accurate specifications.
Despite facing challenges when implementing inverse kinematics on Botzo, the team was able to fine-tune their equations to develop the first working prototype.
Lessons learned hands-on
For the team, collaboration was the key to their success. Each member’s unique knowledge, skills and perspectives enriched the Botzo project and helped nurture a fun, productive environment. Vera, Gregorio and Rodrigo say they also became better versed with various hardware and software applications, and that they sharpened their critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the process.
In the future, they hope to integrate Reinforcement Learning, more powerful Arduino processors and a robust Robot Operating System (ROS2) to develop a more advanced version of Botzo. But they’ve already broken new ground with a project that represents the latest of countless examples of creativity and innovation at IE University.
