It is becoming easier to comprehend the factory of the future with recent brain-computer interface (BCI), voice command and image recognition technology from Festo. The company created quite a buzz at this year’s Hannover Trade Fair when it showcased its rendition of a famous 1970s table tennis videogame, which, with a modern twist, uses carefully rehearsed thought patterns to control the racquets using only a player’s mind.
The CogniGame is much like its original format, only Festo has implemented the virtual game on a real court built using Festo motion components. The court features a linear axis on each end which provides the left/right movement of each player’s racquet. One player controls the racquet by pressing a lever, but what makes the CogniGame exciting is that the opposing player controls the racquet using thought alone, via a brain-computer interface, or BCI.
BCI technology measures voltage fluctuations on the surface of the user’s head – as with electroencephalography (EEG) via a series of electrodes. This creates a communication channel between the brain and the hardware without any need for interaction from the user via voice or input devices. Festo worked closely with CogniWare to develop this software solution that uses thoughts and bio-signals to create instructions.
The concepts found in the CogniGame have practical implications in the modern factory by facilitating faster communication between humans and machines. In the factory of tomorrow, not all work sequences will be automated, so new operating sequences and concepts are needed to enable better communication, whether using joysticks, voice input or other interfaces.
Bionic Handling Assistant 3.0
The Bionic Handling Assistant 3.0 also sparked interest with its structural resilience, versatility and performance via voice control and image recognition interface systems. Originally based on the Festo elephant trunk, the BHA 3.0 is a highly flexible assistance system that permits safe and direct contact between people and technology. It comprises three basic elements for spatial movement, along with a hand axis and a gripper with adaptive fingers, eleven degrees of freedom allows the unit to move freely in all directions which is ideal within a factory environment.
This system allows for close human/machine interaction as it does not pose any danger to operators in the event of a collision. The result is that not all factory areas need to be cordoned off to prevent people from getting too close as is the case with more conventional factory robots. The use of polyamide makes the bellows structure of the system inherently flexible, allowing it to be stiffened in a specific manner by the pneumatic control unit when required. The flexible structure renders direct human-machine contact hazard-free, whether it happens intentionally or unintentionally. In the event of a collision with the human operator, the system immediately yields with no change to the desired overall dynamic behaviour.
The inclusion of voice command and image recognition technologies means that the BHA 3.0 can grip objects independently. A miniaturised camera in the gripper module registers the working space, detects target objects, follows them, and initiates the command to grip at the right moment. Voice commands using an appropriate interface further trigger the BHA 3.0 to execute a range of tasks easily and safely.
For more information contact Tracey Swart, Festo, +27 (0)11 971 5500, tracey.swart@festo.com, www.festo.co.za
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