A Motion Mapping System for Humanoids that Provides Immersive Telepresence Experiences

Abstract

Motion capture and mapping systems have been evolving to enhance the virtual immersion experience in a human-in-the-loop model. In this work, a motion mapping system composed by a 3D printed humanoid robot, built with low-cost materials, an IMU-based motion capture suit, a binaural microphone and a virtual reality headset is presented. The movements of the robot are limited by its reduced amount of degrees of freedom, particularly due to its shoulder configuration, which differs from the human's own biomechanics. Once the motion capture suit's information is extracted, a ROS-based architecture maps orientations from the user to obtain the generalized coordinates of the robot in order to imitate the operator's arm's motion. Additionally, the headset is used to project a stereo vision of the robot's surroundings and to map the operator's head motion. Furthermore, the microphones located on each ear provide the ability to capture 3D sound. This project intends to provide an interactive telepresence puppetry system to encourage the involvement of a targeted audience on engineering subjects. The system shows acceptable results with moderate time response.