RM Asia Pacific
Robot Inventor Visits Australia
26
October 2009
-
RM Asia Pacific is
excited
to announce the visit to Australian of Dr Jim
Wyatt, the inventor of the newly released ED-E -
the
first humanoid biped (two legged) robot
designed for schools.
The robot mimics human movement and provides a fun and exciting way of teaching students
the principals behind the physics of walking, forces and angles, computer programming and a
range of other essential theories. 17 servo motors enable the robot to perform dance routines
including jumps, headspins and even backflips, controlled by easy-to-use software.
According to Dr Wyatt, “we can use ED-E as a demonstrator that’s fun and exciting and use that
to engage kids in quite complex subject areas.”
While Dr Wyatt is in Australia he will be involved in a number of Sydney-based activities:
Announcing a potential global on-line robotics competition that Australian students will be
able to participate in, enabling them to drive their skills and compete globally
Presenting on the future direction of robotics as part of the Humanoid Robotics Showcase
for educators at Macquarie University
Meeting a group of students from Silverton Primary (Vic) who entered the RoboCup
Junior competition with ED-E. They are being flown to the Powerhouse Museum to meet
with Dr Wyatt as a reward for their efforts. Dr Wyatt will be providing them with some
personal tips for the new global competition and watching them re-enact their
RoboCup
performance
Meeting with the Powerhouse Museum who will be utilising
ED-E robots in their
Thinkspace area. Jim will also be delivering a presentation on Engineering and Engaging
Classrooms for the 21st Century to invited guests.
-Ends-
Involvement Opportunities
Dr
Jim Wyatt, will be available for interviews on the morning of Tuesday 27 October. He is an
experienced and entertaining interview subject, equally suitable for general, IT or education
media. There will also be additional photo opportunities on Wednesday 28 October when Jim
meets with students from Silverton Primary School who will perform their ED-E RoboCup entry at
the Powerhouse Museum.
Should this be of interest, please contact Prue Bowley.
For further information, please visit: http://www.rmap.com.au/ed-e
Biography: Dr Jim Wyatt
Dr Jim Wyatt has always been fascinated by robots, from his first R2-D2 and Optimus Prime
action figures to building a dancing robot for a Sci-Fi musical production at his secondary school.
In 1997 he graduated from Reading University with an honours degree in Cybernetics and
Control Engineering. He then went on to start a very worthy, but terribly boring, PhD in Robots
and Artificial intelligence. Tiring of his research, Jim (along with Kablamm co-founder Mark
Gasson) became more and more involved with robotics outreach events for schools and the
general public, this included attending several events working alongside Lego Dacta.
In 2005 Jim finally completed his PhD thesis which looked at the expectations the public had of
robots and what would drive them to purchase and use a robot of their own. This research
became invaluable in developing the MechRC system, the first humanoid robot to be developed
specifically for the Western consumer and educational markets, and has been hailed as the most
user friendly programmable humanoid robot system. Jim now spends his time between
Kablamm’s research labs in the UK and the MechRC development office in Guangdong, China
where he and his team continue to develop cutting edge robot and artificial intelligence
technology for the consumer and educational markets.
About ED-E
ED-E, manufactured by MechRC, is used to teach children a range of essential principles in
physics, mathematics, biology and engineering by simulating a real environment in a virtual
world.
The robot’s unique agility is achieved through the use of 17 servo motors (small, powerful motors
with feedback) which allow it to perform dance routines including jumps, headspins and even
backflips, while the transparent body panels allow students to view the 17 servo motors
operating underneath. The robot also comes with unique and easy to use animation software.
Programming is done via a computer and works like a movie strip. Users simply drag the required
position of the robot’s joints into the movie frame and add the desired time delay between
movements. The results can then be previewed on screen, and uploaded to the handset so ED-E
can act out the motion file.
About RMAP
RM started in 1973 with the aim of making learning easy, fun and enjoyable. Concentrating solely
on education, RM has offices in the UK, the US, India and Asia Pacific. RM Asia Pacific is one of
the region's most successful providers of ICT to education, providing industry-standard
educational software, services and systems to schools.
Press contacts:
Prue Bowley
RM Asia Pacific
02 9411 8114
pbowley@rmap.com.au
Simon Jones
RM Asia Pacific
02 9411 5912
sjones@rmap.com.au
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