Darwin
Robotis DARwIn-OP (Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot with Intelligence – Open Platform) is a humanoid robot platform which weighs approximately 3 kg and is about 45 cm tall. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States, DARwIn-OP is developed by RoMeLa at Virginia Tech in collaboration with Purdue University, University of Pennsylvania, and Robotis Co.
DARwIn-OP is an open platform where users are encouraged to modify it in both hardware and software, and various software implementations are possible (C++, Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, etc.) The open source hardware is not only user serviceable thanks to its modular design, but also can be fabricated by the user. Publicly open CAD files for all of its parts, and instructions manuals for fabrication and assembly are available on-line for free. DARwIn-OP can also be purchased from Robotis as a product.
Crude instructions for running a demo
- Extract Darwin from the box
- Connect power cable
- Hold Darwin in standing position and press the power switch to turn it on. It activates the joints and assumes a "squatting position" while it turns on.
- Wait for many LEDs to turn on on the back of the robot. When the initialization finishes, it says something.
- Click the "mode" button, Darwin should say: "Soccer demo".
- Click the "play" button.
- Put a red object in front of the robot to play.
- To stop the robot, click on the "mode" button again.
- Then click a button on the front of the robot to shut down the internal system. It's a hidden button, the lower "hole" on the right side of the robot chest.
- Eventually, move the power switch on the back of the robot to the off position.