**5. Modularity and compatibility of element technology**

140 The Future of Humanoid Robots – Research and Applications

Human Interaction

**Element** 

**Technology** 

in work tasks as building kit assembly and service. Yet, advancements in structuring environments and information about the environment for robotic systems on the one hand, and robot control technology and artificial intelligence on the other hand, lead to the fact that all highly autonomous systems can increasingly be applied in well planned service

Table 1. Up to today, it was difficult to apply humanoids to other autonomous service robots

The notion of Generation Robots was introduced by Professor H. Moravec, Carnegie Mellon University, in order to describe the evolution of robot technology in near future. First Generation Robots refer to robot systems have an autonomy and intellectual capacity that is compare able to that of a lizard (available: 2010). Second Generation Robots are capable of learning and their intelligence is comparable to that of a mouse (available: 2020). Further, intellectual abilities of Third Generation Robots shall be comparable to that of a monkey (available 2030) and that of Fourth Generation Robot's intelligence finally shall be comparable to that of human beings (available: 2040). In order to be able to describe earlier developments in robot technology we introduce generation zero in our

**Subsystems** 

Generation 0 Robots

**Total Systems** 

**Autonomous** 

**System** 

Ambient Intelligence

Generation 1 Robots

Generation 2 Robots

**Distributed** 

**System** 

**Exoskeletons and Humanoid Robots in Construction** 

Structured Environment

**Mining, dam Tunneling, Road construction** 

**Stationary Industry (Component and building Prefab.)** 

**On-site construction Facility Management Services in built Environment (Building to City Scale)** 

environments.

Unstructured Environmentt

graphic.

The authors are currently working on applying and seamlessly integrating distributed robotic technology and mechatronic systems into home, care and city environments [27] [28] [29]. When people are assisted in close correlation by a robotic system, it is necessary to acquire as much data as possible about the person in real-time (e.g. activity, movement, vital signs) in order to understand and be able to predict mental and physical stat at any time. The authors currently develop a chair which is in real-time monitoring and interpreting vital data and is beyond that able to serve as a control station for games and home automation. The chair is developed within GEWOS, a University-Industry collaborative project financed by the German ministry (Runtime: 2010-2013) [30]. Its objective is to upgrade furniture components with sensors and other mechatronic components in order to support a healthy, save and active life at home. Among the partners are the Fraunhofer Institute for integrated circuits (section medical sensors) and EnOcean GmbH, a forerunner in energy harvesting and sensor applications. The first target of the consortium is to develop a "Fitness Chair" which is measuring people's vital signs, then makes those vital signs transparent to the user and finally try to activate the user to become more active (Figure 15), do sports and meet friends.

Copyright T. Linner

Fig. 18. Sensor Chair developed within the authors' R&D (Research & Development) Project GEWOS. The "Fitness Chair" is measuring people's vital signs, makes those vital signs then transparent to the user and finally try's to activate the user to become more active, do sports and meet friends.

Exoskeleton and Humanoid Robotic Technology in Construction and Built Environment 143

Above, the chair provides an open server platform which allows doctors, physical therapists and other health professionals to develop service applications for customers. Beyond that, the chair with its variety of integrated sensors serves as a controller for virtual reality games and home automation. Companies as well as researchers are interested in bringing this solution to the market. In March 2011 it has even been covered by the German issue of

**SPO2-Module:** Measuring blood pressure and oxygen saturation of the blood by infrared

**Activity-Module:** Sensor system for analyzing the user's activity in the proximity of the

**Data Platform with GUI:** Allows third parties (doctors, physical therapists and other health

**Gaming Aspect:** Chair itself can be used as controller and training application to enhance

The technology applied to the GEWOS Sensor chair has the potential to be applied to Mobility Robots (e.g. IRT'S and Toyota's r intuitively controllable robotic wheelchair) and mobile suits (e.g. Toyota's i-foot, Kaist's Mobile HUBO FX-1 suit built upon the HUBO platform) for more users being accumulated and indirectly controlled. Further, HUBO FX-1 is good example that it is possible to apply technological platforms to robots of various categories. The HUBO leg platform has been applied to the Humanoid robot HUBO as well as to the Mobility Robot HUBO FX-1. It can be assumed that in the future this interchangeability of technologies will increase. So that, for example wearable computers (e.g. head up displays) and Single Joint Assistance Devices can support users to control

We have argued that human beings are steadily using and advancing tools. Exoskeletons and especially humanoid robotic technology in ill defined construction and built service environment as a whole or its subsystems/elements can be seen as a highly advanced tool or cooperating set of tools. Exoskeletons and humanoid robotic technology not only allows augmenting human abilities but creates tools that are capable of autonomous decision-making and performance in order to achieve certain goals as agent of a human being especially in dangerous, dirty and tedious construction activities. Most major industries have already extensively made use of robotic technology, which transforms production system technology in automotive industry, aircraft industry, the electrical appliance's sector, the medical field, farming and even recently construction. For the near future, we see a huge potential for robotics – wearable cooperative systems as well as fully autonomous systems- to permeate the field of construction and building technology. We have presented a categorization distinguishing between mechatronic, robotic, microsystemic element technology (power augmentation, sensing and motion augmentation, and cognition augmentation), subsystems (assistive devices and partial exoskeletons), total systems (exoskeletons, mobility robots), autonomous robots

Technology Review. The chair contains following systems:

professionals) to develop service applications for customers

**Weight-Module:** Measuring weight and weight distribution on the chair

**EKG-Module:** Measuring heart rate variability

and special signal processing algorithms

the user's activity at home.

Mobility Robots and Humanoids.

**6. Conclusion** 

chair

Fig. 19. Similarity and interchangeability of underlying basic technologies between robots of different categories. From left to right: Kaist's Humaniod Robot HUBO, Kaist's Mobile HUBO FX-1 suit built upon the HUBO platform, TUM's GEWOS sensor chair serving as control interface, IRT'S and Toyota's r intuitively controllable robotic wheelchair.

Above, the chair provides an open server platform which allows doctors, physical therapists and other health professionals to develop service applications for customers. Beyond that, the chair with its variety of integrated sensors serves as a controller for virtual reality games and home automation. Companies as well as researchers are interested in bringing this solution to the market. In March 2011 it has even been covered by the German issue of Technology Review. The chair contains following systems:

**EKG-Module:** Measuring heart rate variability

**SPO2-Module:** Measuring blood pressure and oxygen saturation of the blood by infrared and special signal processing algorithms

**Activity-Module:** Sensor system for analyzing the user's activity in the proximity of the chair

**Weight-Module:** Measuring weight and weight distribution on the chair

**Data Platform with GUI:** Allows third parties (doctors, physical therapists and other health professionals) to develop service applications for customers

**Gaming Aspect:** Chair itself can be used as controller and training application to enhance the user's activity at home.

The technology applied to the GEWOS Sensor chair has the potential to be applied to Mobility Robots (e.g. IRT'S and Toyota's r intuitively controllable robotic wheelchair) and mobile suits (e.g. Toyota's i-foot, Kaist's Mobile HUBO FX-1 suit built upon the HUBO platform) for more users being accumulated and indirectly controlled. Further, HUBO FX-1 is good example that it is possible to apply technological platforms to robots of various categories. The HUBO leg platform has been applied to the Humanoid robot HUBO as well as to the Mobility Robot HUBO FX-1. It can be assumed that in the future this interchangeability of technologies will increase. So that, for example wearable computers (e.g. head up displays) and Single Joint Assistance Devices can support users to control Mobility Robots and Humanoids.
