1. Overall Information and Links

- Full Video

- Paper of the Project Published in UIST2020 

(for detailed concept and Implementation)

https://trackr-media.tangiblemedia.org/publishedmedia/Papers/701-MTAyM/Published/PDF

- Project Overview Page

https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/hermits/overview/

2. Implementation (Hack) Overview

Our prototype system of HERMITS is based on an off-the-shelf robotic toy, toio, a two-wheeled robotic system. We have built a Raspberry Pi-based hierarchical control architecture. A computer takes central control of the system, while a number of Raspberry Pi micro-controllers were used for connecting and controlling individual toios through Bluetooth (based on Python code). 

See our paper for detailed implementation.

- Active Docking Mechanism

To achieve the active docking, we have modified the toio hardware with an additional vertically moving pin enabled by a micro-linear servo motor. This pin was designed to dock to a slot of mechanical shell for robust connection and motion transmission.

- Github

Robot Control Software and Basic Shell Design CAD (In-Progress)

https://github.com/mitmedialab/HERMITS_UIST20

- toio Hack to enable the Active Docking Mechanism

A blog that describes the robot's hack in Japanese: https://note.com/ken_n/n/nf47466ee9436

video of the hack (controlling servomotor using a piezo speaker control signal embedded in toio)