{"id":24104,"date":"2023-11-06T19:41:31","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T19:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=24104&post_type=story"},"modified":"2023-11-08T23:19:10","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T23:19:10","slug":"no-bark-all-byte","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/","title":{"rendered":"No Bark, All Byte"},"content":{"rendered":"

The most sophisticated robotic innovations are no longer confined to factories and classified labs \u2014 one now roams UCF\u2019s campus. This past summer, UCF\u2019s School of Modeling, Simulation and Training<\/a> (SMST) secured one of the most renowned semiautonomous robots \u2014 affording them the opportunity to bring students, faculty and new technology together for innovative research<\/a> and teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted something that can really help to promote that transdisciplinary culture that we want at the SMST [and across UCF],\u201d says Crystal Maraj, research assistant professor at UCF\u2019s Institute for Simulation and Training (IST), which is housed in the SMST.<\/p>\n

The robot\u2019s four legs and short stature immediately raise eyebrows, resembling a dog at first glance. Manufactured by robotics technology leader Boston Dynamics, \u201cSpot the Agile Mobile Robot\u201d is designed to sense and avoid obstacles, collect limitless data and map its environment \u2014 all while trotting, hopping and climbing across various terrains.<\/p>\n

While 1,000 of these black-and-gold robotic dogs are used in more than 35 countries, UCF\u2019s robot features a custom circuit-patterned wrap and Pegasus emblem. Since its colors resemble an actual tape measure, and most of its function involves data gathering and measuring, renaming the robotic dog TapeMeasure was a no-brainer for IST faculty.<\/p>\n

Since IST\u2019s creation in 1982, researchers have produced robotics projects for healthcare<\/a>, manufacturing, the military and more. TapeMeasure is a continuation of their robotics technology exploration<\/a>, but differs from previous developments with its focus on end-user experiences.<\/p>\n

SMST students and members of the Robotics Club of Central Florida will have first access to TapeMeasure, with prioritization of undergraduates to get involved and build their skills early, Maraj says. The collaboration with the robotics club is ideal given its history as a lab formerly based at the SMST. Today, the award-winning student organization has more than 60 members who are creating innovative and competitive robots that push the boundaries of automation and robust designs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is definitely the first [robot] of its kind for us,\u201d says Dwight Howard II, mechanical engineering student and vice president of the robotics club. \u201c[TapeMeasure] is a good way for students [at any skill level] to explore programming design and work on a full platform from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn More About TapeMeasure<\/h2>\n

Not Your Typical Pet<\/h3>\n

In its base state, the 70-pound doglike robot walks, navigates areas, climbs up and down stairs, maneuvers around objects and gets up if knocked over. Preprogrammed with Python coding, it can travel to designated locations \u2014 avoiding obstacles along the way \u2014 to capture photos with its 360-degree camera, then return on its own to share its findings. An Android tablet with physical and digital joystick options is used to control TapeMeasure, which Howard says is a new method of operation for the robotics club.<\/p>\n

Customizable Platform<\/h3>\n

A core input-output processor allows for the addition of sensors that increase the robotic dog\u2019s collection of autonomous tasks. IST Associate Professor Joseph Kider is leading a project in collaboration with the robotics club to build a suite of environmental sensors. When paired with detection sensors, the environmental sensors can map out buildings and areas on UCF\u2019s campus to display their safety conditions, Howard says.<\/p>\n

Research Potential<\/h3>\n

Currently, teams are working through TapeMeasure\u2019s functions and capabilities before determining how it can drive research. One example involves mounting a laser scanner to the robotic dog, which makes gathering data from historical buildings more efficient for Research Associate Professor Lori Walters. This also helps broaden access to scanning locations that otherwise couldn\u2019t be reached or are potentially unsafe.<\/p>\n

Industry Benefits<\/h3>\n

TapeMeasure will cultivate students to fill the talent pipeline for various industries while also strengthening UCF\u2019s industry partnerships<\/a>, Maraj says. Although companies may have the money to purchase this advanced robotic technology for their own use, having it at UCF uniquely positions the university to share its knowledge from TapeMeasure-assisted research projects to better serve key industries, like manufacturing and healthcare.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":24317,"template":"","categories":[975],"tags":[1650,1414,1431,1609,1608,1466,1649,1661],"class_list":["post-24104","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artifact","tag-crystal-maraj","tag-innovation","tag-institute-for-simulation-and-training","tag-joseph-kider","tag-lori-walters","tag-modeling-and-simulation","tag-robotics-club-of-central-florida","tag-school-of-modeling-simulation-and-training","issues-fall-2023"],"yoast_head":"\nNo Bark, All Byte: UCF Robot Dog Provides Hands-on Learning<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UCF welcomed its newest research tool: a four-legged robot built with some of the world\u2019s most advanced technology.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"No Bark, All Byte: UCF Robot Dog Provides Hands-on Learning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UCF welcomed its newest research tool: a four-legged robot built with some of the world\u2019s most advanced technology.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pegasus Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UCF\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-08T23:19:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/2023\/10\/Pegasus-Fa23-Social-FB-TapeMeasure-1200x630-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"No Bark, All Byte: UCF Robot Dog Provides Hands-on Learning\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"UCF welcomed its newest research tool: a four-legged robot built with some of the world\u2019s most advanced technology.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/2023\/10\/Pegasus-Fa23-Social-TW-TapeMeasure-1600x900-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UCF\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/\",\"name\":\"No Bark, All Byte: UCF Robot Dog Provides Hands-on Learning\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/2023\/10\/Pegasus-Fa23-Story-TapeMeasure-1200x800-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-06T19:41:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-08T23:19:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"UCF welcomed its newest research tool: a four-legged robot built with some of the world\u2019s most advanced technology.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/no-bark-all-byte\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/2023\/10\/Pegasus-Fa23-Story-TapeMeasure-1200x800-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/2023\/10\/Pegasus-Fa23-Story-TapeMeasure-1200x800-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Dwight Howard II, mechanical engineering student and vice president of the Robotics Club of Central Florida at UCF, stands next to Tape Measure (the robot dog). 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