Depending on the programming and the technical equipment, the RoboThespian can actively talk with someone else. His name says it all as ‘Thespian’ is an old English word for an actor. The clever robot speaks several languages and recognizes faces and gestures.
If you say certain key words, it starts with readily defined reactions. It can also use search engines and access information on the Internet independently to give exact answers and advice. If it is controlled by people via a wireless headset and tablet, it can even address visitors individually. There are currently more than 60 of these robots worldwide, mainly in museums, universities or permanent displays, where they delight visitors.
Much of its human-like agility relies on the pneumatic fluidic muscle from Festo. Fluidic muscle DMSP from Festo. It is a membrane contraction system, a flexible tube with so-called multifilament yarns that reinforce and support, and are integrated in a diamond-shaped structure.
The system acts like a human muscle, contracting and relaxing – and all without frictional resistance or breakaway torque, in other words stick-slip free. The movement of the arms and hands is carried out by a total of two or eight fluidic muscles in different sizes.