While others were lounging by the pool and working on getting a tan, three University of Guelph students spent their summer building their very own dog, Clifford.
He might not be able to bark, cuddle or catch a ball, but his potential uses are far reaching.
Weighing just 10 lbs and standing about a foot tall, Clifford the robot dog was built as a passion project over the summer by third-year University of Guelph engineering students Cameron Bauman, Chase Keeler and Matthew Salazar.
“All three of us are on the University of Guelph robotics team, so it’s something that we all have a strong passion for. Taking on a project like this, you get to learn so much by just tackling that hands on,” said Keeler.
“I really want to get into this kind of industry,” Salazar said. “So these are the kind of technologies on a smaller scale that they work with. There’s probably different industry standards, but just to get a little breakthrough of the technologies they use.”
He said it’s also helpful for making connections between other disciplines, “because we got to see the mechanical side, the electrical side, the software side. A little bit of everything,” he said.
And while the thought of a robotic dog might evoke memories of the 1990s toy, Poo-Chi, their inspiration was a bit more sophisticated: a much larger robot called Spot, made by robotics company Boston Dynamics.
“You can use a remote control, it can navigate itself, it can walk upstairs, it can trot backwards,” Salazar said.
Others can do backflips or mirror human movement like balancing.
They’re not just cool party tricks though.
Autonomous robots and drones are increasingly being used to get into places humans can’t or unsafe areas, like areas impacted by radiation.
“They’re using drones and robots, which have cameras that we can connect to from our own computer screen, so we’re in a safe environment and can still learn about all these new things that we originally wouldn’t be able to,” Keeler said.
Sensors can also be added to the robots for different purposes.
For instance, Bauman said they added a camera and a distance sensor to Clifford where his eyes would be, so when an object gets too close, he automatically backs up.
“Other people have attached LiDAR sensors, which basically can take scans of a room and map out what’s going on,” he said.
The group took additional inspiration from sample projects online, 3D printing most of Clifford’s components and ordering the rest online.
“We tested them individually before bringing them together,” Bauman said of the parts.
The movements were created by “math done by hand, then that math is programmed on the robot,” he said.
After that they just had to fine-tune it until it was able to do what they wanted.
Clifford is directed using a matching PS4 controller, because they had one lying around, and it was easy to connect, assigning a specific movement to each button.
There are some improvements and additions they’re hoping to integrate – fixing the weight distribution as right now his gait is lopsided and the back right leg drags a bit and implementing a gyroscope to allow for more dynamic movement.
“So let’s say your level was on an incline, the front legs would kind of squat down more and the hind legs would stand up taller, allowing it to be at a level distribution,” Keeler said.
Building Clifford was a labour of love, as they worked on him between full-time at co-op placements and summer courses throughout the break.
Since they all live in the same house, they don’t have to worry about who gets custody – he’s basically the house pet at this point.
“Every time we fix it it’s like we’re bringing it to the vet,” Salazar said.
