The PAL Robotics team has been hard at work developing a new robot to push the boundaries of what is possible within current robotics research. The team is unveiling the TIAGo Pro Edition which features the latest technology – with torque-controllable arms able to reach items on the floor and high shelves with enhanced mobile manipulation capabilities, a touch screen face, facial recognition, speech in multiple languages, a chatbot, and a base that moves in all directions including side to side.
These capabilities are ready on the newly developed TIAGo Pro Edition robot which is aimed at agile manufacturing and industry 5.0, as well as healthcare. PAL Robotics is thrilled to be showcasing the TIAGo Pro Edition robot at ICRA 2023 at ExCeL London, from 29 May-2 June 2023 – the premier international forum for robotics researchers to present and discuss their work.
The latest R&D efforts by PAL Robotics: a mobile manipulator with fully torque-controllable arms and sophisticated Human-Robot Interaction capabilities
Francesco Ferro, CEO at PAL Robotics said of the launch, “the new robot TIAGo Pro Edition really pushes the boundaries of robots working together with humans – it more lets us reimagine how robots can assist humans in daily living and working, to make robots more and more useful to us.”
In the ROS 2-compatible robot PAL Robotics has enhanced the robot’s expressiveness: for users to be able to generate a range of eye expressions (such as happy, sad, sceptical, confused) and smoothly, direct the robot’s gaze and eyes in a natural way. The robot is also able to match faces, skeletons, and people, and offers state-of-the-art fully offline speech recognition in 20+ languages; and a new chatbot engine.
Narcís Miguel i Baños, Head of Mobile Manipulation at PAL Robotics commented, “for TIAGo Pro Edition we did a lot of re-designing, from the software, to the electronics to the arms, and we’re so happy with the outcome – a robot equipped to use it’s sophisticated mobile manipulation capabilities in industry, yet that still has human-centric qualities to work with humans side by side, and that we hope in future can be offered without arms, for assisting in healthcare.”
Narcís continued, “with TIAGo Pro Edition, we have explored a new arm placement to have an easy frontal and lateral reach. The torque-controlled arms also let users have more precise and human-centric manipulation. The robot can learn by demonstration, and also be taught new motions for collaborative tasks.”
The starting point for the new robot, TIAGo Pro Edition, has been TIAGo robot – originally developed by PAL Robotics in 2015 and nowadays one of the most popular platforms for robotics research in universities and research institutions across Europe. TIAGo Pro Edition will become the newest member of the TIAGo robot family, made up of various customisable robots including robots with one arm, two arms, and/or a touchscreen.
PAL Robotics takes part in a number of research projects within the European Union including AGIMUS (robots to support humans in agile manufacturing), and CANOPIES (robots working with humans in vineyards) which will be some of the early adopters to benefit from the latest technology developed for the TIAGo Pro Edition.
The PAL Robotics team will be attending ICRA 2023 at ExCeL London, from 29 May to 2 June, to demonstrate five different robots including TIAGo Pro Edition. The other robots PAL Robotics will bring to the event are:
· Kangaroo – the bipedal research platform in development for dynamic motions such as jumping and running.
· ARI – the social robot with capabilities such as facial recognition and emotion detection designed to interact with the public.
· TIAGo – the mobile manipulator designed to work alongside humans and also used in research.
· ARan – the Autonomous Mobile Robot for the transportation of heavy goods in indoor environments.
PAL Robotics was founded in 2004, In Barcelona, Spain, when a small group of engineers built the first fully autonomous humanoid biped robot in Europe which also happened to play chess. Today the company is still well known for humanoid robots, as well as retail and manufacturing solutions, and develops state-of-the-art robots for companies and research institutions worldwide, with robot sales in over 35 countries.
