Robotics

Pinokio lamp is the real-life counterpart to Pixar's Luxo Jr

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Pinokio, the robotic desk lamp, searches for faces to track once it's been turned on
Although it looks like a standard desk lamp, many of Pinokio's components had to be redesigned to fit its electronics
Pinokio, the robotic desk lamp, searches for faces to track once it's been turned on
A close-up of Pinokio's servo motors, which drive its hinges
Pinokio swaps between introverted and extroverted behaviors when presented with a book
A look at the components hidden behind Pinokio's face plate, which resides insides its lamp shade
Pinokio's face plate contains a camera, microphone, and a halogen bulb (hidden behind a mechanical iris)
Adam Ben-Dror and Shanshan Zhou work out the final details of their interactive desk lamp, Pinokio
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Luxo Jr, the adorable little lamp that appears in the Disney Pixar logo, illustrates how animators can breathe life into mundane inanimate objects. Now, robotics technology allows us to do the same thing in real life, as shown by a trio from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Using a combination of readily available robotics and automated manufacturing technology, mixed with open-source software, they were able to grace a desk lamp with a little personality.

Pinokio, unlike its fairy tale namesake, needs strings to move – strings of code, that is. Its actions are driven primarily by Arduino and image processing software OpenCV, which searches for faces in the images from its web cam. When it finds a face, it attempts to follow it as if trying to maintain eye contact.

Programmer Shanshan Zhou ensured it would change its behavior with preset "moods" – introvert or extrovert – causing the lamp to recoil or stretch outwards, respectively. When switched off, Pinokio responds by flicking its power switch back on – similar to the most useless machine ever – further adding to its character.

A close-up of Pinokio's servo motors, which drive its hinges

Adam Ben-Dror, who worked out the mechanical details, found that it only took six servo motors to actuate the lamp's hinges. These hinges had to be replaced with ones he designed in CAD, which were then manufactured using a variety of techniques, from 3D printing, laser cutting, water jet cutting, and CNC lathing to good old-fashioned welding. He also had to work out how to fit the halogen bulb (covered with a mechanical iris), a hacked webcam, a microphone, and a pair of servos – including the necessary wiring – into the back of the lamp's shade.

As you'll see in the video below, the end result lives up to the concept sketches provided by the team's designer, Joss Dogget. Pinokio springs to life and engages its audience with seemingly effortless interaction.

Source: Pinokio Lamp via Creative Applications

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2 comments
Bruce H. Anderson
Almost useless, but oh so charming as to be nearly irresistable.
Misi Szilagyi
Kudos to the New Zealand team. We worked on a very similar lamp in 2007 also inspired by Luxo Jr., but back then some of the technology used in Pinokio was not as widely available as it is today. Here is a short writeup about it: http://www.kitchenbudapest.hu/en/blog/mozgo-robotlampakkal-luxo-jr-nyomaban/