Aibo Agility – Ramp

Throughout 2007, a group of Wollongong University Undergraduates embarked on a project supervised by Dr. Koren Ward, to take the Aibo where it has never been before – ultimately behaving ‘like.no.other.puppy’. This capstone Computer Science subject (namely CSCI321 – Project) applies skill and knowledge from a wide array of facets, all learnt first-hand, throughout time spent at The University of Wollongong. Both Domestic and International undergraduates are given the opportunity to apply their skills by developing a software package of their own choosing. The outcome is a major achievement for any Undergraduate (as seen in this video clip), and creates many future job prospects. The Computer Science degree is both challenging and exciting, and teaches any ambitious individual the science behind computing. The end result – An ability to develop software limited only by one’s imagination. The project mission: To successfully create functionality for an Aibo ERS-210 to take part in an agility trial. This included walking along narrow inclines (which Sony actually states the Aibo cannot do), making its way down stairs, crawling through a curved tunnel, and even waving to the crowd at the end. This first step has paved the path that will one day allow robot dogs to successfully compete against organic dogs. It is simply a matter of time …