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Remotely Pat Your Pet With Kinect and a Wiimote

Posted by samzenpus on from the petting-at-a-distance dept.

MrSeb writes "Taylor Valtrop, an enterprising roboticist with a penchant for kitties, has crafted the mother of all Kinect (and Wiimote!) hacks: The teleoperation of a robot to groom a cat. Using a Nao, a $15,000 robot; a treadmill (for moving the robot forward); a head-mounted display (to see what the robot sees); Kinect (for tracking his movements); and two Wiimotes (to move the robot's hands), Valtrop is able to pat a cat with surprising accuracy and gentleness (except for where he accidentally hits the cat in the face)."

14 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. predictable result by Trepidity · · Score: 5, Funny

    By the end of the video the cat is pretty annoyed and trying to attack the robot...

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    10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
    1. Re:predictable result by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      To be fair, based on my experiences with cats, that would have happened regardless of whether it was a person or a robot trying to pet it.

    2. Re:predictable result by Culture20 · · Score: 2

      And unless you've got huge seriously bleeding gashes, it's not an attack, but mere play. Cats don't have a good sense of how far they can go during play; they think they're pulling their punches, but those claws are so sharp they still hurt.

  2. But will he let anyone else pet his kitty? by I.S.Bear · · Score: 4, Funny

    make it internet interactive too :)

  3. Overlords? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If cats have us going to this much trouble to brush them, I'd say it's pretty good evidence they're in control.

  4. My cat doesn't even care if *I* pet him. by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    At least he can't regard the Kinect with any less aloofness than he already does me.

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    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  5. Re:You are going to need an easy going cat. by ElKry · · Score: 2

    Most people with bad grammar, get scared when corrected. Congratulations on shortening, that guy's lifespan.

  6. Rule 34! by roc97007 · · Score: 2

    Combine with Wolowitz's robot hand...

    ...but seriously, what pet wants to be petted by a robot? If that actually worked, I could program the robot to pet the dog periodically, and just ignore it. At least, until the dog buries the pieces in the back yard.

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    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  7. Problem by Sez+Zero · · Score: 2

    ...with a penchant for kitties...

    That's his problem right there.

  8. Remotely pet your girls kitty with a hairbrush? by phayes · · Score: 2

    Sure, I can see that as becoming popular, just with another of your girlfriends personal hygiene tools...

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    Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
  9. Re:Minor correction to title: by johanwanderer · · Score: 2

    ... and an assistant to hold the pet.

  10. Re:Uh, yeah... by Belial6 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have had conversations with my child (now 7) about his severe dislike of the people in character costumes. He only recently stopped avoiding them. He was very clear that he was never afraid of giant rats/bears/rabbits/etc... He was very clear that he always knew that they were people in costumes. He was just freaked out by PEOPLE in giant animal costumes.

  11. And the 2011 "Sheldon Cooper" award goes too... by AngryDill · · Score: 2

    ...the Kinect-a-kitty!

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  12. Re:You are going to need an easy going cat. by darthdavid · · Score: 2

    We used to have a Husky that liked getting his fur vacuumed. Some animals will put up with a lot more than others...