Would you like to introduce yourself and Nobot?
I’m Jack Thorogood, CEO of NOVP Limited, the company behind Nobot. I’ve been creating complex software platforms for the best part of a decade. This year, we decided to get involved in hardware too, the manifestation of which is Nobot.
Nobot is a humanoid (ish) robot unit that acts as a point of presence for a remote operator who can use the Nobot unit to undertake tasks for the Nobot’s owner.
What is the history of Nobot, where did you get the inspiration?
We’ve been working remotely, as a team, for the last eight years. It has worked really well for us as a company, and also us all as individuals. Remote working has mainly been the domain of ‘knowledge workers’ to date. We wanted to expand that to those involved in more geographically linked tasks too.
We have also been involved, in the past, in AI projects and know that AI has severe limitations. It works brilliantly for some very specific tasks, but AI is a long way from the capabilities of the human mind when it comes to multi-tasking common sense.
Using the old mythical analagoy of NASA spending millions of dollars on a pen that could write in zero gravity whereas the Russians gave their cosmonauts pencils to achieve the same ends, we thought laterally about applying that same principle to robotics.
Do you have a history of robotics?
No. Our background is very much in software, but it is mastery of this that we feel will make the Nobot be of everyday use to our customers.
Which chores can Nobot do?
The launch version of the Nobot is fairly general purpose, limited to what it can do with a single hand and to areas where it can get an internet connection (including 3G).
This limits it to basic physical tasks (tidying up) and security and monitoring purposes, as well as basic point of presence activities.
Our goal over the months ahead is to increase the range of accessories and integrations between Nobot and third party machinery. We see vehicle kits being a relatively early extension to the range of accessories we have, for example so that a Nobot can undertake more mundane tasks in an agricultural tractor, for example. It isn’t rocket science to develop these integration packs cost effectively.
How have recent advances in technology made it easier for Nobot to exist?
Improvements in virtual reality are the main improvements that make Nobot possible now. Oculus Rift particularly is a good example. Although Nobot can be controlled via a tablet computer, for professional operators we recommend Oculus Rift. Wearing these googles means that the operator sees exactly what the Nobot sees, and the movement of the opertors head triggers movement of the Nobot’s head with minimum latency. That is really intuitive.
What is ‘Over IP’?
This means ‘over internet protocol’. It is a bit of a play on Voice over IP.
How is Nobot controlled?
The ‘Pro’ operators kit for the current build Nobot and accessories uses Oculus Rift (for sight and head tracking) Leap Motion (for arm and hand movement) and a joystick for unit movement.
It can also be controlled via an iPad, meaning that an owner doesn’t have to invest in additional kit if, for example, they will mainly be using the Operators’ Marketplace and only operating the Nobot themselves periodically.
Could Nobot be used for evil as well as good?
Yes, it could to an extent, but to a lesser extent than less managed systems. For example a computer’s webcam is much more open to being hacked than a Nobot, due to the underlying system architecture involved.
We are employing a trust and reviews based system for operators to ensure that in addition to initial background checks, an operator succeeds within the marketplace based on their merits and trustworthiness.
What are some of the challenges you have overcome in the development of Nobot?
The main challenges to date have been around the intuitiveness of operation. Using VR controllers to operate a Nobot unit that could be 1000 miles away is initially a bit unnatural. Once we nailed the latency issues however, it has become much more natural.
We see the biggest challenges lying ahead and these will be societal issues, for example the acceptance of Nobots literally roaming the streets may be a bit of a stretch initially. However we think this ‘WTF factor’ (if you’ll excuse the term) will really contribute to Nobot’s initial success.
What is Nobot made from?
The Nobot is a strong ABS plastic shell on top of a track unit that was originally designed for wheelchairs. It contains a Raspberry Pi computer, a lot of batteries, a HD camera and mic and speakers. The arm assembly is off the shelf servos and motors in a custom frame.
The software is proprietary, but written in PHP in the main, which isn’t that fashionable, but it is fast and effective.
Where do you see Nobot in five years time?
Of course we hope everywhere. We certainly see it being widely present in industry, from farming to mining, but also as a general purpose domestic servant too.
We have worked very hard to make booking a Nobot operator easier and quicker than hailing a cab via Uber. Once people see Nobot on the streets and at friends, and find they can book a operator with a couple of swipes on a smartphone, we think it will become indispensable to any, and why wouldn’t it, particularly as our partner programme develops.