iCub3 Avatar System: Enabling Remote Fully-Immersive Embodiment of Humanoid Robots

TL;DR

This paper introduces iCub3, a humanoid robot, and a versatile avatar system that enables remote, fully-immersive embodiment of humanoid robots with multimodal sensory feedback, validated through real-world remote interactions and public demonstrations.

Contribution

The paper presents the development of iCub3 as an advanced humanoid robot and a comprehensive avatar system enabling remote embodiment with multimodal sensory feedback, validated in diverse real-world scenarios.

Findings

Successful remote interaction with the avatar in art exhibitions and festivals.

Effective embodiment of locomotion, manipulation, and communication modalities.

Validation of system versatility across different applications and distances.

Abstract

We present an avatar system designed to facilitate the embodiment of humanoid robots by human operators, validated through iCub3, a humanoid developed at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT). More precisely, the contribution of the paper is twofold: first, we present the humanoid iCub3 as a robotic avatar which integrates the latest significant improvements after about fifteen years of development of the iCub series; second, we present a versatile avatar system enabling humans to embody humanoid robots encompassing aspects such as locomotion, manipulation, voice, and face expressions with comprehensive sensory feedback including visual, auditory, haptic, weight, and touch modalities. We validate the system by implementing several avatar architecture instances, each tailored to specific requirements. First, we evaluated the optimized architecture for verbal, non-verbal, and physical interactions with a remote recipient. This testing involved the operator in Genoa and the avatar in the Biennale di Venezia, Venice - about 290 Km away - thus allowing the operator to visit remotely the Italian art exhibition. Second, we evaluated the optimised architecture for recipient physical collaboration and public engagement on-stage, live, at the We Make Future show, a prominent world digital innovation festival. In this instance, the operator was situated in Genoa while the avatar operates in Rimini - about 300 Km away - interacting with a recipient who entrusted the avatar a payload to carry on stage before an audience of approximately 2000 spectators. Third, we present the architecture implemented by the iCub Team for the ANA Avatar XPrize competition.