1.It is the third time that CMU has jointly held hands-on robotic challenge with UBTECH.

2.This year’s theme is “Robots rescue animals”, using UBTECH’s Yanshee humanoid robots.

3.It is a part of a humanoid workshop launched by CMU’s Robotic Institute Summer Scholars (RISS) team and UBTECH.

“How can humanoid and AI robotics help in everyday households?” UBTECH’s goal is to answer that. The CMU and UBTECH Robotics hosted their third humanoid workshop between July 17 to 19.

In this three-day workshop, scholars gained hands-on experience using ROSA, Raspberry Pi’s Bluetooth capabilities, and motion controls in addition to practicing teamwork, communication, and collaboration by using UBTECH’s Yanshee humanoid robots. Scholars learned about Robotics Operating System Android (ROSA) in a one-day lesson, then participated in a two-day technical challenge. 

Under the virtual mission to rescue animals from a storm, scholars worked in teams of six to move stuffed animals using a Yanshee robot operated by a PlayStation controller. Teams were given ten minutes to move as many animals to safety as possible. Each member of the winning team received a Jimu educational robot. After the competition, the top two scoring teams gave a public demo of the challenge to the RI community. 

"The overall design of the competition, including the point system and contest rules, smartly promoted (and resulted in!) deep collaboration and communication. The theme was excellent. The students were engaged and thrilled with the competition. There were loud cheers that heard throughout the room and carried over into the hallways. " commented Rachel Burcin, CMU Robotics Institute’s global programs manager.

In the 2017 RISS-UBTECH robotic challenge, scholars used advanced UBTECH education robotic kits uKit explore to perform under the theme “Robots look for their friends”, while in the 2018 competition, Yanshee robots were programed to fight in a robot battle. 

RISS program is an eleven-week summer (June 1 to mid-August) undergraduate research program that immerses a diverse cohort of scholars in cutting-edge robotics projects that drive innovation and have real-world impact. Launched in 2006, RISS is among the best and most comprehensive robotics research programs for undergraduates in the world.