Mohammed Salim Patel 26th March 2013 MAKIIS
UCLan student invents a ‘mimic of a professor’
Panagiotis Gnafakis,
20, a Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering student has created a telepresence
robot called MAKIIS.
The third year student has created an enhanced
telepresence robot which is capable of moving and giving presentations using an
on-board video call system using an iPad.
Makroskopic Intelligent Interaction System can also
detect a sound source using its four microphones and automatically turn and
face towards it, these innovative capabilities have “never before been
integrated on a telepresence robot.” The robot can also respond to voice
commands and it has built-in human survival skills. MAKIIS has additional features which gives
it 3D vision, with its eyes being 1.7 metres off the ground. Using ultra-sonic
sensors MAKIIS also sees obstacles on the ground. MAKIIS can be personalised with clothing such
as a shirt or skirt making it a unisex robot.
The idea for MAKIIS was thought of in September 2012
when Panagiotis was discussing with his
project supervisor Phil Tranter. As Phil is often away in China, on University
business, he is unable to teach his students in Preston. A solution for this
was the telepresence robot.
Panagiotis says that:
“From seven to ten I took all my toys and I broke
them and I made new toys. My friends and teachers would ask me what I wanted to
be when I was older and I always said robotics engineer but they never believed
in me.”
The Greece born youngster’s first invention was at
the age of twelve which was a toy helicopter that flew. This gave him the
inspiration and motivation to prove his friends and teachers wrong and achieve
his dreams of studying robotics.
Panagiotis came to the U.K
to study because there was nothing for robotics in his hometown of Athens and
he hopes to see his robot being used and enhanced by upcoming students.
Ends
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