MAPS OF BERKELEY, VIRTUAL REALITY
UC BERKELEY, MArch 2019

IN COLLABORATION WITH LEI YE & IOANNA SOTIRIOU 

AIM OF PROJECT

Promoting a project created or developed at UC Berkeley through a VIRTUAL REALITY narrative

MEET BLUE

a low-cost backdrivable 7-DOF robotic manipulator

Blue is a human scale 7 Degree of Freedom arm with 2kg payload and costs less than 5000$. 
Blue can be controlled from a distance by imitating/ copying the movements of the user.

https://berkeleyopenarms.github.io

                                    

PROJECT NARRATIVE

How to be somewhere with physical motor capabilities while remaining physically safe despite external physical threat?

The aim of this project is to introduce BLUE, an artificially intelligent robot, designed and developed here in Berkeley. Blue has a set of amazing skills, but what makes Blue particularly special is its ability to learn new skills. Blue and others like it have been developed to venture into areas inaccessible by humans, in the hopes of attending to certain dangerous tasks accompanied virtually by an individual. Upon entering VR space, the user is introduced to BLUE and soon realizes that BLUE mimics their own movements, thus understanding that they can control the robot. The user is then faced with three “portals” that they can choose from. Each portal takes the user into one scenario inaccessible or unsuitable to humans and is set to complete a small task through the robot.

                         

CASE 1

Nuclear Wasteland

Historically, mankind has caused several nuclear disasters, whether intentionally or due to catastrophic accidents. The high radiation affecting such areas renders them inaccessible without dabbling with mortal peril. Nevertheless, being able to access these zones is often crucial whether for observation and study or for more important reasons such as stopping/ minimizing the damage and controlling its expansion.

CASE 2

Uncharted Landscapes

Humans are explorers and inventors by nature, often pushing all boundaries for the sake of new and exciting discoveries. Unfortunately, these adventures often come at a price; that of the safety of individuals, yet the presence of humans at critical locations is often of utmost importance.

CASE 2

Automated Factories

Factories of industrial scale are often places unsuitable for humans. Not only do they represent a threat to individuals’ physical well-being, but the safety procedures needed to ensure their safety often halts or disrupts the process of manufacture. Nevertheless, human presence is important not only for the sake of overlooking the process of manufacture, but also for intervention during critical situations.