Interactive embodied robot videogame through the use of sensors and physical objects

• US 9,480,910 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marta Isabel Santos Paiva Ferraz Conceicao
• Original Assignee: Marta Isabel Santos Paiva Ferraz Conceicao
• Inventors: Conceicao, Marta Isabel Santos Paiva Ferraz
• Primary Examiner(s): MYHR, JUSTIN L
• Application Number:
  US14/357,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20140302931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/00 Toy vehicles, e.g. with self-drive; convertible into other toys A63H33/003; Cranes, winches or the like; Accessories therefor traffic games with figures moved by players A63F9/14
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40411 Robot assists human in non-industrial environment like home or office

Abstract

The present invention refers to an embodied Robot videogame apparatus that receives input through the (human) user'"'"'s physical actions (full body actions), contact and physiological signals (Bio-signals). The apparatus has principal components: led/sound sensor eye with a video camera; mechanical lever; rotation sensor; rubber torso; solar battery; sensor leds; heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor; multi-touch computer display, with a I/O board v2.0 Bluetooth wireless connection; multiplayer button; microphone; intensity sensor; feet support; suspensions; rubber pneumatic wheels; accelerometer sensor; plastic leveler sensor; wireless Bluetooth digitizers; Velcro strips; and GPS. The apparatus includes a series of electronic sensor that detects the user'"'"'s input physical actions, contact and physiological signals in real-time. The output result is visualized on a multi-touch computer display. The player'"'"'s real-time actions are translated in virtual actions in the software game scenarios (e.g., running with the physical robot represents the same virtual action in the game avatar). The apparatus establishes a simultaneous connection between physical and virtual realities and can be shared through online connection.

Claims

1. A robot apparatus comprising:

a rubber torso;

a triangular base adapted to support the rubber torso, the triangular base being made of steel, the triangular base further comprising three sponge feet supports connected to three suspensions, wherein the three suspensions are connected to three rubber pneumatic wheels that enable displacement of the robot apparatus in various physical terrains;

a head disposed on the rubber torso;

a multi-touch computer display disposed on a back side of the rubber torso;

video game software displayed on the multi-touch computer display;

a plurality of sensors connected to the rubber torso via a plurality of Velcro strips, the plurality of sensors including;

a sensor leds disposed on a frontal right side of the rubber torso and adapted to produce visible light and generate input to the video game software in real-time when pressed by a user;

a rotation sensor disposed on a back of the head, the rotation sensor adapted to calculate intensity and acceleration displacement of the robot apparatus based on a triple-axis magnetic field of the earth by identifying a position of the robot apparatus in physical space in real-time, wherein position information is represented in visual form by the videogame software operating on the multi-touch computer display;

a heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor disposed on upper left and right sides of the rubber torso, the heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor adapted to measure a heart rate and galvanic skin response of a user in real-time, wherein measurements generated by the heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor are represented in visual form by the video game software on the multi-touch computer display;

a multiplayer button disposed a back left side of the rubber torso, wherein the multiplayer button, when pressed by a user, activates a multiplayer function in the videogame software displayed on the multi-touch computer display;

a microphone disposed on a back central part of the rubber torso, the microphone adapted to convert, in real time, speech and sound waves into digital signals recognized by the video game software in the multi-touch computer display; and

an intensity sensor comprising a slider bar with a button disposed in a back right part of the rubber torso, the intensity sensor adapted to control, in real time, tasks associated with the videogame software displayed on the multi-touch computer display, in response to pressure applied by a user;

the robot apparatus further comprising;

a plastic leveler sensor comprising a cylindrical structure with six protrusions that fit internally inside the rubber torso allowing a user to select one of a plurality of height levels for the rubber torso;

an accelerometer sensor disposed in a selected one of the three rubber pneumatic wheels, the accelerometer sensor being adapted to generate a measurement, in real time, of one of a dynamic acceleration, a deceleration and an inclination of the robot apparatus in a physical terrain, wherein the measurement is translated into digital input to the video game software and is represented in visual form on the multi-touch computer display;

a plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers;

a solar battery that includes a solar panel disposed on a left part of the rubber torso, the solar battery being adapted to provide power to the multi-touch computer display via solar power;

a mechanical lever disposed on a left frontal and lateral part of the head, the mechanical lever adapted to convert physical movements of a user into electric energy to power a 2V light bulb; and

a led/sound sensor eye disposed in a right frontal part of the head, the led/sound sensor adapted to translate audio output received from the videogame software operating in the multi-touch computer display into sound waves, speech and music, wherein the led/sound sensor eye includes a video camera adapted to capture images of activities performed by a user;

wherein the multi-touch computer display includes an I/O board v2.0 Bluetooth wireless connection adapted to communicate with the sensor leds, the rotation sensor, the heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor, the multiplayer button, the intensity sensor, the plastic leveler sensor, and the accelerometer sensor via the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers;

wherein users can play the videogame in a same geographical location via GPS or in a different spatial location via a webserver; and

wherein the computer display is connected to the triangular base made of steel.

2. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical lever comprises a light bulb, a dynamo motor generator and a lever.

3. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the led/sound sensor eye comprises a video camera and a mechanism adapted to translate an output of a videogame software into sound waves, and is connected to the multi-touch computer display via a cable to acquire the output signal from the videogame software.

4. The robot apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the led/sound sensor eye is rechargeable through the multi-touch computer display via a USB connection.

5. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation sensor is connected to a respective one of the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers, wherein the rotation sensor calculates an apparatus intensity and an acceleration displacement through a triple-axis magnetic field of an earth and identifies an apparatus position in physical spatial coordinates in real-time.

6. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solar battery is adapted to obtain energy from sunlight and recharge the multi-touch computer display.

7. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, the sensor leds includes a respective one of the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers, wherein the sensor leds produces a visible light while pressed.

8. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rubber torso includes the solar battery, the sensor leds, the rotation sensor, the heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor, the multi-touch computer display, the multiplayer button, the microphone, and the intensity sensor;

wherein the solar battery, the sensor leds, the rotation sensor, the heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor, the multi-touch computer display, the multiplayer button, the microphone, and the intensity sensor are connected to the rubber torso by the plurality of Velcro strips.

9. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rubber torso that is connected to a triangular base via the plastic leveler sensor.

10. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor includes a respective one of the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers and a rectangular pad made of an electrical conductive material, wherein the heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor measures skin temperature, heat flux and skin electrical conductivity, by measuring a heart rate of a user and a galvanic skin response of the user in real-time.

11. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multiplayer button includes a respective one of the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers, wherein the multiplayer button is disposed in the rubber torso, wherein the multiplayer button starts a multiplayer function by activating an online connection when pressed.

12. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, the microphone is disposed in the rubber torso, wherein the microphone includes an acoustic-to-electric transducer that converts sound waves into an electrical signal.

13. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the microphone is connected to the multi-touch computer display via a cable TRS connector input to a soundcard.

14. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the intensity sensor further includes a respective one of the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers.

15. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plastic leveler sensor includes a respective one of the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers and a plastic cylindrical structure that has six protrusions that fit internally with the rubber torso.

16. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plastic leveler sensor is activated by an action of pulling or pushing to select five sprockets levels, wherein each level integrates five sensors wherein the plastic leveler sensor responds to one of a pressure between approximately 0.6 PSI and 142 PSI and a force between approximately 0.6 N and 98 N.

17. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plastic leveler sensor is connected to a triangular base that supports the rubber torso,

wherein the rubber torso is made of steel and wrapped with a dense rubber.

18. The robot apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the triangular base with three feet supports support users having a weight up to 120 kg.

19. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the three feet supports are screwed to the rubber suspension via a steel base.

20. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each suspension supports a respective one of the three rubber pneumatic wheels, the suspension being connected with a steel screwed bilateral system to a center of the respective rubber pneumatic wheel.

21. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the accelerometer sensor includes a respective one of the wireless Bluetooth digitizers, wherein the accelerometer sensor is disposed in one of the three rubber pneumatic wheels, wherein the three rubber pneumatic wheels are the triangular base.

22. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless Bluetooth digitizers comprise a micro plastic box and are adapted to acquire a signal from a distance of 100 meters and to transmit digital messages to the multi-touch computer display in real-time.

23. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers are coupled to one or more wireless electronic sensors via an internal connection with a 3-pin column input cable extremity, the internal connection being connected to an I2C port placed inside the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers.

24. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless Bluetooth digitizer are recharged by a 9V battery.

25. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multi-touch computer display includes an anti-shock and anti-vibration system, GPS capability, and a I/O board v2.0 Bluetooth wireless connection.

26. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the I/O board v2.0 Bluetooth wireless connection establishes a connection with one or more sensors wirelessly, with a 10 bits resolution, 1020 steps of each 4.9 mV, that can sample up to 5760 Hz milliseconds latency in real-time.

27. The robot apparatus of claim 1, wherein the robot apparatus is operated by a method comprising:

obtaining data relating to physical actions, physiological signals and speech via the rotation sensor, sensor leds, plastic leveler sensor, heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor, multiplayer button, intensity sensor and accelerometer sensor;

transmitting the data to the I/O board v2.0 Bluetooth wireless connection located in the multi-touch computer display;

receiving the data, by the I/O board v2.0 Bluetooth wireless connection;

translating, by the I/O board v2.0 Bluetooth wireless connection, the data into digitally computer-encoded messages;

transmitting the digitally computer-encoded messages to the multi-touch computer display;

providing the computer-encoded messages representing data obtained by the rotation sensor, sensor leds, plastic leveler sensor, heart rate and galvanic skin response sensor, multiplayer button, intensity sensor and accelerometer sensor as input to the videogame;

translating the digitally computer-encoded messages in-real time into a digital output including sounds and images;

providing the sounds and images via the multi-touch computer display in connection with the videogame;

recording results of the videogame in real time, by the video camera; and

sharing the videogame in real-time via an online connection.

28. The robot apparatus of claim 1, wherein a wireless communication is activated between the respective one of the plurality of wireless Bluetooth digitizers that is connected to the plastic leveler sensor and the I/O board v2.0 Bluetooth wireless connection integrated in the multi-touch computer display.