What is CURi?
First, imagine yourself in the bathroom. You are about to finish business, when a terrifying sight hits your eyes - the toilet paper roll is empty. Do you accept your fate, and take the waddle of shame down the hallway to the closet? Or perhaps, you call your father only to be met with a stare of paternal contempt? For many today - this is a frightening reality. You, 15 minutes later, are about to leave home to go on a first date. As you approach the door - you pat down your pockets only to discover that once again, your keys are missing. In the eyes of many, an innocent civilian is once again struck down by the cold hand of fate.
In a not-so-distant future, CURi is here to help! Instead of automating enjoyable human activities like cooking and going outside, CURi aims to remove the less savory aspects of home life.
Utilizing many unique and readily-available features, CURi is able to keep a full inventory on frequently misplaced items. As seen in the animation, CURi is able to 3D scan any item placed on the rotating platform. After doing so, CURi calculates the volume of the item, stores an image for reference in the database, and places the item in the most optimal location in the house. By using the calculated volume and taking advantage of the fact that items do not need to be grouped together by type, there is nearly no wasted space in each compartment.
Space that would normally be wasted can be utilized effectively by CURi. Using an internal map and ultrasonic proximity sensors (red dots on the carbon fiber base) it can quickly navigate around a house and access storage locations. The linear rails equipped with clamps allow it to easily and securely pick up bins, and the compact robotic arm is able to selectively remove items from each storage compartment using its rubberized claw. When CURi detects it is low on power, it navigates to the quick-charge station determined by the user in order to recharge by connecting it's terminals (gold rectangles).
Utilizing the onboard WiFi of the embedded computer, CURi hosts a web interface on the WiFi network of choice allowing users to select items from an online database, and choose which room to deliver them to. On the web interface, each item is listed as the thumbnail from the 3D scan, with an optional description set by the user.
Unlike many other robotic prototypes, CURi is designed using technologies that are already commonly available to both hobbyists and professionals alike. At the end of the day, 2025 is
only 8 years away. As a frame of reference, the original iPhone was released over 10 years ago! By using standard size aluminum and carbon fiber sheets, CURi is remarkably easy to mass produce - even today. Instead of incredibly difficult hardware challenges, CURi only faces the initial firmware design.
Note that the objects in the renders are color coordinated to their relative purpose - green is for motion, yellow is for power, and red is for electronics.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy my entry for the Design for Robotics 2017 challenge!
