disney lab's humanoid robot juggles and plays catch

the robot has the capability of catching and throwing a ball

disney research labs have developed a humanoid robot which has the capability of playing catch and juggling while still maintaining a safe distance between itself and participants – responding to entertainment robots in theme park environments which typically do not allow for physical interaction and contact with guests.

an external camera (ASUS Xtion PRO LIVE) is used to help the humanoid detect balls, with the implementation of a kalman filter aiding it in gaging the destination and timing of throws. hand and joint-spaces are calibrated to the vision coordinate system through a least-squares technique, allowing the robot to predict the location in which a ball will land. any successful catches are thrown back at the participant at about a two and a half meter distance, while any missed catches are recognized, the droid responding with animations indicating failure. human to robot partner juggling capabilities are performed using a three ball cascade pattern – one hand for each partner.

the humanoid responds to entertainment robots in theme park environments which typically do not allow for physical interaction and contact with guests

playing catch and juggling with a humanoid robotvideo courtesy of disney research labs

via popsci