NJIT Professor Helps Bring 6-Foot Humanoid Robot To Life

NEWARK, NJ — After eight years of development, a 6-foot, 220-pound humanoid robot dubbed the Torque Controlled compliAnt Biped (TOCABI) has been brought to life. And it got a big boost along the way from New Jersey’s Mathew Schwartz.

Schwartz, an assistant professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark, began working on the design of the robot while he was a researcher at the Digital Human Research Center, a research facility in South Korea run by Seoul National University.

Working at the direction of professor Jaeheung Park, Schwartz helped to build the lower legs and a temporary upper body for TOCABI. In 2016, the design of the upper body began, and since 2017 – when Schwartz joined NJIT’s industrial design program – he and Park have continued to work as an interdisciplinary team.

According to a news release from NJIT:

“The science and technology of the TOCABI humanoid robot has a multitude of applications, from emergency responder to worker avatars, with far reaching implications for everything from occupational safety to the transformation of industrial economies. While there are a variety of ways to develop a robotic system, TOCABI uses what is known as torque-control. Unlike robotic arms found in a manufacturing facility that are controlled by commanding a position, which can be dangerous for a human who does not anticipate its movement, torque-control first determines where it wants to go and then calculates and commands the amount of energy needed to the motors for that movement. This torque-based system makes it much safer to have robots interact directly with humans, such as the case for an avatar.”

Their efforts paid off when TOCABI recently made its debut at the international ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition. Earlier in September, Schwartz joined the build team from South Korea in Miami for the semifinals of the competition.

• See related article: These Drones Replant Forests; Meet The NJIT Alum Who Created Them

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.