link to cardea home page
link to project overview
link to people
link to technical description
        link to arm technical description
        link to RMP base description
        link to vision description
        link to kickstands description
        link to integration description
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link to videos and images
link to faq

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3 arm cardea photo of cardea 1 arm cardea

Cardea is the latest robot of the Humanoid Robotics group at the MIT CSAIL. It locomotes using a SEGWAY RMP (robotic mobility platform). It is currently equipped with cameras and sonar sensors for navigation. It also, currently, has 1 5 degree of freedom robotic arm that is designed with series elastic actuator technology. Using virtual spring models, it delivers human-like compliancy. Eventually Cardea's current vision system will be a robotic head with active perception and Cardea will be outfitted with 3 (yes, 3 and all different in length and hands) arms. The Cardea project is currently sponsored by DARPA.

Definition:

(Source: Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend)
The goddess of thresholds and especially door-pivots (cardo "door-pivot"). Just as Carna she is also a goddess of health. Cardea is the protectress of little children against the attacks of vampire-witches. She obtained the office from Janus in exchange for her personal favors. Ovid says of Cardea, apparently quoting a religious formula: 'Her power is to open what is shut; to shut what is open.'

MIT CSAIL

PI: Rodney Brooks
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)
200 Technology Square - MIT Building NE43 - Cambridge, MA 02139 - USA - webmaster@csail.mit.edu

(Note: On July 1, 2003, the AI Lab and LCS merged to form CSAIL.)

DARPA image