A non-terrestrial network (NTN) is a type of wireless communication network used for applications such as mobile communications. The term refers to multilayered networks linking terrestrial base stations, ships at sea, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), and communication satellites in space. These characteristics allow an NTN to overcome the limitations of land-based networks, dramatically expanding the coverage of the communication infrastructure to include areas such as mountain valleys and areas of the ocean far from land.Among non-terrestrial networks, this article focuses on wireless communication networks comprising elements at high altitudes, far above the land and the sea. R&amp;D, test beds, and demonstrations are starting to be rolled out as part of plans for the development of non-terrestrial networks in the stratosphere and outer space in preparation for the advent of the next-generation telecommunications standard known as Beyond 5G (5th Generation Mobile Communication System, B5G)/6G (6th Generation Mobile Communication System).<h2 id="isPasted">From the stratosphere to outer space. Configuration and features of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs).</h2><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1732785400292-FIGURE+1.jpg" style="width: 832px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Figure 1: Conceptual Diagram Showing Altitude and Coverage Area of Different Types of Transmission Equipment in a Non-Terrestrial NetworkAs shown in Figure 1, a non-terrestrial network deployed in the skies above us would be composed of different types of transmission equipment for which higher altitude corresponds to wider coverage area. Naturally, the greater the distance from the Earth’s surface, the greater the signal delay, and the different types of transmission equipment will be used for different purposes depending on their location, in outer space or the stratosphere, or at ground level. This makes it possible to build a communication infrastructure with a wider coverage range than was previously attainable, such that we will be able to say that “nowhere on Earth is out of range.” Below, we present an overview and feature description of the artificial satellites (GEO and LEO) and unmanned aircraft (HAPS) that compose the non-terrestrial network shown in Figure 1.<h3 id="isPasted">Geostationary Satellite (GEO)</h3>A geostationary satellite or geostationary Earth orbit satellite (GEO) is the component of non-terrestrial networks for B5G/6G that operates at the highest altitude. These artificial satellites are positioned approximately 36,000 km above the Earth’s equator. They orbit the Earth at a speed that matches the Earth’s rate of rotation, so they appear to be stationary above a specific spot on the ground. Generally speaking, weather satellites that predict the weather based on meteorological conditions over wide areas belong to this category of satellites.GEOs used in communications networks operate at a high altitude, allowing them to communicate with a wide area. It is said that three or four such satellites would be able to cover the entirety of the Earth’s surface. However, their distance from the ground means that they have a greater data transfer lag than other types of transmission equipment, and their data transfer speed is said generally to be on the order of several megabits per second (Mbps). Also, since sending signals to the Earth’s surface requires high output, GEOs tend to be larger than low Earth orbit satellites (LEOs), discussed below, and launching them into orbit requires larger rockets.<h3 id="isPasted">Low Earth Orbit Satellite (LEO)</h3>A low Earth orbit satellite (LEO) is a type of artificial satellite that operates in space but in a lower Earth orbit*1 than a GEO, typically at an altitude of several hundred to 2,000 km. Unlike geostationary satellites (GEOs), they are not synchronized with the rotation of the Earth. The Hubble Telescope and the International Space Station (ISS) also operate at a low altitude, using a low Earth orbit of around 400 km, at most. However, it is said that LEOs used in NTNs will be positioned at altitudes of around one thousand several hundred kilometers.LEOs operate at lower altitudes than GEOs, allowing data transfer with low delay and using low-output signals. Such satellites can also have a smaller size. LEOs support communication speeds with the Earth’s surface of several hundred megabits per second (Mbps), so it is said that they could be used for services enabling direct communication between smartphone handsets and satellites. On the other hand, since LEOs operate at lower altitudes than GEOs, the coverage area of each satellite is narrower, and satellites operating in low Earth orbits have a higher orbital speed. This mean that it is necessary to make use of “satellite constellations” consisting of multiple small LEOs operating in coordination in order to provide stable communication under these conditions. The term “constellation” is a reference to constellations of stars and is used to refer to a coordinated group of LEOs.*1 The definition of “Earth orbit” varies among different countries and organizations. For example, the European Space Agency (ESA) defines Earth orbit as orbiting the Earth at an altitude of up to 1,000 km, whereas the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) specifies an altitude of up to 2,000 km.<h3 id="isPasted">High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS)</h3>A high-altitude platform station (HAPS), sometimes called a stratospheric communication platform, is an unmanned aircraft (some are like airplanes while others take the form of balloons or airships) flying through the stratosphere at an altitude of around 20 km and that functions as an airborne communication base station. Generally speaking, passenger jetliners can reach altitudes up to around 10 km, and the portion of the stratosphere in which a HAPS operates is about twice that high. At this altitude, air currents and weather conditions are comparatively stable, and there is little air resistance. Since the air density is less than that needed for an unmanned aircraft to achieve the necessary dynamic lift, it is said that operational HAPS models will carry solar panels or batteries that will enable them to remain airborne continuously for several weeks at a time.Whereas terrestrial base stations generally have a coverage area spanning a radius of a few kilometers to a few tens of kilometers, a single HAPS is likely to have a coverage area spanning a radius of around 100 km. Also, since they are closer to the Earth’s surface than artificial satellites operating in space, they are expected to play a major role in the new communication infrastructure for B5G/6G due to their minimal data transfer lag. Nevertheless, since the stratosphere occupies the territorial airspace of different nations, unlike outer space, it can be said that the establishment of a legal framework in each country will be key to the international implementation of HAPS and the provision of communication services.<h2 id="isPasted">Advantages of and Trends in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) for B5G/6G</h2>In conclusion, we will discuss the advantages of and trends in non-terrestrial networks.<h3>Advantages of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs)</h3>A big advantage of non-terrestrial networks, which unlike terrestrial networks comprise elements operating in the stratosphere and outer space, is that they can provide a communication infrastructure that is relatively unaffected by natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis. In addition, they have the potential to dramatically expand the coverage area to the extent that nowhere on Earth is out of range. This will enable people to use their smartphones to communicate in emergencies even if they find themselves in locations where communication was difficult previously, such as mountain valleys or while at sea.As a result, it will be possible to maintain the communication infrastructure in time of emergencies such as natural disasters or accidents, regardless of location, and to extend the mobile communications network over ever broader areas without interruption, preventing problems from occurring when in the mountains or while traveling by sea.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1732785572794-img-0005.jpg" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Using a smartphone ina &nbsp;remote montain area.&nbsp;<h3 id="isPasted">Trends in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs)</h3>One big feature of non-terrestrial networks is the remarkable trend toward active involvement by private companies. In the past, most space projects were national initiatives, but nowadays a wide variety of companies around the world, not only in the hardware field but in fields such as communication services as well, are teaming up and taking part in aerospace projects, including the non-terrestrial network business.Examples include the development and manufacture of artificial satellites and HAPSes, components used in them, and telecommunication equipment (payloads) loaded on them. A wide range of companies are involved in these business endeavors, including some that operate rockets that carry artificial satellites into space. In particular, the next-generation mobile communications field called B5G/6G is serving as a starting point for the rapid growth of businesses serving a market that is global in scale.Murata Manufacturing develops and manufactures a variety of wireless communication modules. As part of this effort, we are working to develop products that meet changing needs, including connectivity modules compatible with non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). For details, refer to the page linked to below.

This article highlights non-terrestrial networks at high altitudes, focusing on R&D and testing efforts to support next-generation telecommunications standards, Beyond 5G and 6G.

Non - Terrestrial Networks Employing HAPS or Artificial Satellites: Technological Trends Leading to Beyond 5G

At a time when the general public may not yet accept driverless taxis and ride-hailing vehicles, tele-driving could offer many of the same benefits, according to a new study led by a University of Michigan researcher. With more cars on the road, fewer drivers and fewer riderless miles, ride-sharing services could become faster and more affordable.Tele-driving typically involves a driver operating a car while sitting in front of a bank of screens that show video feeds from cameras on the car, as well as sensors and augmented reality technology. Once a passenger has been picked up, transported and dropped off, the driver can disconnect from that vehicle and is free to connect to any other that is available in an area of need. Several private tele-driving companies are already in operation, including <a href="https://halo.car/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">halo.car</a> and <a href="https://vay.io/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vay</a> in Las Vegas.One of the main advantages of tele-driving, according to researchers led by the University of Michigan’s <a href="https://benjaafar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saif Benjaafar</a>, a professor of industrial and operations engineering is that drivers do not need to be where the vehicles are—for instance, driving from areas of low demand to areas of high demand with no rider. In this vein, tele-driving can eliminate what ride hailing services refer to as the ‘wild goose chase’ scenario. At times when vehicle supply is low, cars need to be dispatched to customers located far away even if it’s not the most efficient pairing between rider and driver.“Tele-driving allows you to get away with far fewer drivers than vehicles without impacting the quality of service because you can still leverage the excess vehicles to get quickly to customers,” said Benjaafar, who specializes in supply chains and logistics. “A reduction of 30% to 40% in some of the test cases we considered.“There’s an opportunity to significantly increase how busy the drivers are,” he added. “One of the challenges for ride services has always been having drivers who are sitting idle. Quite a bit of that inefficiency can be eliminated.”The remaining drivers also stand to benefit as this system would shift vehicle ownership, and the cost and risk that it entails, onto the rideshare company. Tele-driving may broaden labor participation as driving becomes a desk job, the researchers suggest.Finally, the team is optimistic that the separation of drivers and riders could improve the safety of both, particularly women who have been disproportionately the targets of in-vehicle assault and other criminal behavior. However, tele-driving systems also need to guard against reckless driving in a work environment that feels more like a video game.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1719966837517-Vay_Teledrive_Station-2-featured.jpg" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">A driver operates a vehicle remotely from a control center that features multiple video feeds. Two tele-driving services, Vayo and halo.car currently operate in Las Vegas. Credit: VayoUsing computer modeling that factors in supply, demand and road congestion over both time and space, researchers showed that a higher number of available vehicles than drivers can shorten wait times in periods of high demand, even with fewer drivers. This is because the likelihood of a driver going on a wild goose chase is reduced.“This research can be applied to the world/community by improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of ride-hailing and other on-demand transportation services,” said Xiaotang Yang, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.&nbsp;“By using tele-driving, platforms can potentially operate with fewer drivers while maintaining or even improving service quality, which can lower operational costs and make these services more accessible. Additionally, this approach can help reduce traffic congestion and waiting times, leading to a better overall experience for users.”Benjaafar’s deep dive into the benefits and efficiencies of tele-driving come as efforts to bring autonomous ride services into the mainstream have stalled for a variety of reasons. Safety is key among them, and a regular stream of news articles chronicling crashes involving vehicles without human drivers only reinforces those concerns.“Full autonomy may take longer to become a reality,” said Benjaafar. “In the meantime, there are these technologies that can serve as a bridge toward full autonomy, including putting the human drive back into the loop.”&nbsp;The research was initiated while Benjaafar and Yang were at the University of Minnesota. They were joined by Zicheng Wang, now an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen.

If drivers could choose any available car as a starting point, ride-hailing services could become cheaper as energy and labor are used more efficiently.

Not quite ready for autonomous taxis? Tele-driving could be a bridge

The spread of COVID-19 has changed how we live and work. With no choice but to restrict movement and reduce how often we meet others, we have moved many of our activities from the physical world to a virtual one. For many people, it seems only natural now to use remote technology to meet with friends, take classes, and have meetings. Although remote work has become more commonplace, there are still many jobs that must be done in person<h1 dir="ltr">Expanding the scope of remote work using VR/AR and 5G technologies</h1>This use of virtual environments will likely continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. This is especially true in business. There are several reasons why.&nbsp;First, many people who thought online meetings would never work have realized that they in fact, do work&mdash;and can even be more productive than face-to-face meetings. Having meetings online can reduce the number of business trips taken and can also reduce cost and time. This means meetings can be held for more people.&nbsp;Second, people disinclined to make use of ICT have been forced to make use of remote technologies, and this has helped to provide them with relevant skills. Working with remote technology has helped to eliminate disparity in ICT literacy and skills.&nbsp;Finally, governments across the world continue to promote diverse working environments, and remote work is a great way to realize this goal. Remote work will also help support society and the people working within it as it becomes more established.Some companies that have observed these trends have begun to revise their HR systems and reduce the sizes of their offices, under the assumption that remote work already plays a central role in business.Although many tasks such as office work and preparing documents and materials can be performed remotely without issue, there are still many tasks that must be done on-site. Remote work is simply not an option in these cases. This is especially true at manufacturing sites.<h1 dir="ltr">Making full use of 3D CAD modeling to streamline VR/AR design work and maintenance</h1>Manufacturing companies have begun making use of technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and IoT as new means of communicating information in situations that previously could not work remotely, such as equipment maintenance and product design.It has become possible in recent years to design all sorts of industrial products, equipment, and facilities using 3D CAD. This technology has been making tremendous progress. The individual parts of devices are now individually designed as 3D models, which can be assembled and even manipulated on a computer. This means that products can now be manufactured and tested, with no need to build a physical prototype.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjczMjAyMDA5ODAzLVZpcnR1YWxfUmVhbGl0eS5fKFVuc3BsYXNoKS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" width="720" height="453" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Fig. 1: Data from CAD tools can be shared and reviewed virtually in real-time. When developing an industrial product (such as an automobile or electronic device) or designing a building or other structure, personnel such as product planners, salespeople, designers, and production engineers will meet to review the product. Until recently, this involved gathering all these individuals in the same room to discuss a physical prototype created especially for this purpose. Now, experts in remote locations can share 3D model data and then use head-mounted displays to manipulate and disassemble these models, allowing them to review a product just as though they were in the same room with it&mdash;or, perhaps in even more detail.<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Oil_rig_Jan_23.jpg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Fig. 2: Digital twin technology can be used to create a 3D model of how technologies appear and operate. Image credit: Eugene.AI.When designing manufacturing equipment or a machine tool, 3D data can be placed within a virtual production line that has also been modeled, allowing designers to verify that everything works together and operates safely&mdash;before even setting it up on-site.These 3D models can also be used after the equipment has been actually installed on-site, in order to streamline work. AR can be used when maintaining equipment or facilities at a site to display technical information from the 3D model overlaid over the actual equipment, allowing for complicated tasks to be performed without error.Sensors could also be installed on actual equipment. Data from these sensors could be imported to a 3D model on a server for use by the maintenance department or manufacturer, in order to create a digital copy that looks and operates exactly like the actual equipment on site. This so-called &quot;digital twin&quot; technology can be used to predict equipment failures or even simulate the impact of changing production conditions on factors such as throughput and durability.However, using technologies such as VR, AR, and IoT requires a low-latency network capable of transmitting a large amount of data quickly between work sites and offices, as well as homes for remote work. 5G, a fifth-generation mobile communication system, is expected to play a major role in making this possible.<h1 dir="ltr">Using robots to provide a sense of presence to remote communication</h1>As remote work becomes mainstream, it is becoming clear that this technology offers many unique benefits for office work. However, that doesn&#39;t mean that it provides the same level of communication as meeting face-to-face. Remote work technology is still in its infancy.For example, many people might feel that something is slightly off when participating in a remote meeting, brainstorming session, or product review. You might think that using a videoconferencing system would allow you to easily see how everyone reacts to a statement since you can see everyone on the screen. In reality, participants can often have trouble seeing how people react and are often not confident that their message is getting across. Online meetings have shown us that we rely on more than mere words and expressions to communicate.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjczMTk5NjkxOTM2LTE2NzMxOTk2OTE5MzYucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" width="720" height="480" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Fig. 3: Video conferencing has become a routine tool for work. In some situations, not being present in person can cause issues with communication.This feeling that something is somehow off during remote meetings is a shared sentiment among people all over the world. In order to resolve current issues with using remote communication tools, companies and other organizations have begun implementing advanced communication technologies utilizing ICT which is still in the development stages. We are also seeing some attempts to use the latest in ICT and robotic technology to bring a sense of presence to remote meetings and customer service situations.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjczMTk5Njg5ODA0LTE2NzMxOTk2ODk4MDQucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" width="720" height="959" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Fig. 4: Telepresence robots with a tablet make remote conversations feel more natural.&nbsp;In the US, simple robots called telepresence robots are already being used by large companies, hospitals, schools, and other organizations as a means of communication. Telepresence robots are very simple-looking robots consisting of a tablet installed on a mobile vehicle. The tablet is used to display the face of the person speaking through the robot. The speaker can operate and move the robot remotely, allowing them to change the robot&#39;s facing while communicating with others in video chat.It seems too simple to work, but you might be surprised to know that these robots can provide a greater sense of presence than simply using a tablet for video chatting.The individual operating the robot can control it remotely, such as moving it around or changing its facing. When a tablet alone is used for communication, it is the other person who determines what you see. With a telepresence robot, the opposite is true. When speaking with multiple people, the operator of the robot can move the robot to face whomever they want to speak with. This could be of use in a variety of situations to make communication more active, such as moving around an exhibition to visit certain booths or seeking out certain individuals at a party or similar situation.It can also be helpful for others to see such a robot moving around, which can provide a greater sense of the operator of the robot actually being there. All in all, this technology makes it possible for others to not only see your face and hear your voice, but to watch your robot react and move&mdash;and therefore more easily determine whether you are really paying attention!<h1 dir="ltr">Remote robots as a means to go anywhere, instantly</h1>The technology of telexistence brings telepresence to the next level. This technology promises to provide an even higher level of communication, in which an individual remotely controls a robot called an avatar that reproduces the operator&#39;s movements and five senses. It is a concept advocated by Susumu Tachi, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo.[1]<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjczMjAwOTQzNDY1LTE2NzMyMDA5NDM0NjUucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" width="720" height="519" id="isPasted" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Fig. 5: Telepresence takes the capabilities of telexistance devices to the next level by letting us remotely controls a robot&rsquo;s movements and five senses.With telepresence, the operator uses a controller or other device to consciously move a robot. With telexistence, however, sensors are used to detect the operator&#39;s movements and remotely control the robot without any conscious action on the part of the operator. Installing a camera on the robot to feed video to a head-mounted display (HMD) worn by the operator could therefore bring more immersion to remote communication and work. Haptic technology could also be used to provide the operator with a sense of touch mirroring that of the robot for an even greater presence and sense of immersion.In addition to workplaces, telepresence technology could be used for virtual tourism and even in healthcare facilities. Imagine a world where avatar robots are as common as shared bicycle stands. You could take control of such a robot through the Internet and be transported instantly to a tourist spot or other remote location.<h1 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h1>Remote technologies have traditionally served as secondary options for life and work, used only when traveling to a physical location or meeting face-to-face is not possible. This was true even at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we may soon see a world where remote work becomes predominant, with face-to-face meetings conducted only when absolutely necessary.The remote technologies described here will continue to advance as this comes closer to reality. It seems likely that we will ultimately take the use of such technologies for granted, as we develop means of communicating and working that would not be possible except in remote environments. We will increasingly enter a future in which robots are used to communicate closely with others&mdash;and to experience many things previously not possible.<h2 id="isPasted">About the sponsor: Murata</h2>Murata is a global solution provider and the market leader in the design, manufacture, and supply of advanced, leading-edge electronic components, and multi-functional modules. Murata contributes to the advancement of society and the electronics industry, in close cooperation with its customers and other stakeholders. Their European HQ is based in the Netherlands. &nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc0MTIxOTIwNDU4LW11cmF0YSBsb2dvIGJvdHRvbS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> <h1 dir="ltr">References</h1>[1] Susumu Tachi, Telexistence, [Online], Available from: <a href="https://tx-inc.com/en/susumu-tachis-bio/" target="_blank">https://tx-inc.com/en/susumu-tachis-bio/</a><hr id="isPasted"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjg1MDg2NjcyNTM4LTE2ODUwODY2NzI1MzgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii">If you have any questions based on this article that you would like to discuss with an expert at Murata, don&#39;t hesitate to reach out. There&#39;s an entire team ready to support you with your question.<a class="button-main-action" href="https://www.murata.com/en-eu/contactform?&Detail=Wevolver%20request" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GET IN TOUCH</a><hr>

Immersive technologies and high-speed telecommunication standards are enabling new ways to work remotely.

Expanding the scope of remote work using VR, AR and 5G

In this episode, we talk about how ostriches are inspiring a new generation of bipedal robots and the innovation enabling remote endovascular surgery. As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/e2238814-9212-4010-afb6-ac48d637140f?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><hr>This podcast is sponsored by <a href="https://www2.mouser.com/" id="isPasted" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a>.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1651565842197-Mouser-sponsor-1-a.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><hr>(0:50) -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/birdbot-a-3d-printed-bipedal-robot-offers-major-efficiency-gains-through-avian-biomimicry" target="_blank">Using Bird Biology To Make Efficient Walking Robots</a>(20:45) -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/joystick-operated-robot-could-help-surgeons-treat-stroke-remotely" target="_blank">Joystick-operated Robot For Treating Strokes</a>Episode 68 was brought to you by Mouser Electronics, Farbod &amp; Daniel&rsquo;s favorite electronics distributor. Click <a href="https://www.mouser.com/applications/future-robotics-singularity/" target="_blank">here</a> to read the article discussing the merger of technology and humanity.<hr>About the podcast:Every day, some of the most innovative universities, companies, and individual technology developers share their knowledge on Wevolver. To ensure we can also provide this knowledge for the growing group of podcast listeners, we started a collaboration with two young engineers, Daniel Scott Mitchell &amp; Farbod Moghaddam who discuss the most interesting content in this podcast series.&nbsp;To learn more about this show, please visit the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published.Be sure to give us a follow and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a> podcasts, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!Take a few seconds to leave us a review. It really helps! <a href="https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2&nbsp;</a>if you do it and send us proof, we&rsquo;ll give you a shoutout on the show.

The prototype motorized BirdBot, seen here with legs in the locked position, uses a quarter the energy of its immediate predecessor.

In this episode, we talk about how ostriches are inspiring a new generation of bipedal robots and the innovation enabling remote endovascular surgery. 

Podcast: Bird-inspired Bipedal Robots & Robotic Surgeons

The warm feeling of being hugged is known to have a number of positive effects &mdash; and humans are far from the only creatures to enjoy social touch. Robots, meanwhile, are traditionally cold, sterile, and not entirely cuddly &mdash; at least, outside the realm of children&rsquo;s entertainment.But what if a robot could deliver a satisfying hug? That&rsquo;s the question asked by Alexis E. Block and colleagues in the HuggieBot project, with results from a third-generation study having just been accepted for publication. Such a machine could provide comfort to the lonely, have potential medical benefits in care settings, or act as a surrogate when people simply can&rsquo;t be together in person, as has been so common during the ongoing pandemic.Enter HuggieBot 3.0, claimed by its creators to be &ldquo;the first fully autonomous human-sized hugging robot that recognizes and responds to the user&rsquo;s intra-hug gestures.&rdquo;<h1>The birth of HuggieBot</h1>Work on the original HuggieBot began in 2016, when Block was studying for a Master&rsquo;s degree in robotics. The idea: Providing the ability to send a hug anywhere in the world, but in a manner which feels natural and enjoyable &mdash; following what Block and colleagues would come to call the &ldquo;six commandments&rdquo; of robotic hugging, a series of design guidelines which included the need for such a robot to be soft, warm, human-sized, and able to autonomously enter into and exit from an embrace.HuggieBot 2.0, put into testing in 2020, took the concept a stage further by using visual and haptic perception to deliver adaptive hugging in closed-loop system, but it wasn&rsquo;t until HuggieBot 3.0 that the machine would gain a key feature: The ability to autonomously detect, and reciprocate, &ldquo;intra-hugging gestures&rdquo; through a probabilistic behavior algorithm &mdash; the creation of which contributed an additional five new design guidelines, on top of a revision to one of the original six.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUxMDA4ODg5NTI0LWh1Z2dpZTQuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="An image of the HuggieBot robot embracing a researcher; its arms, covered in soft fabric, are seen holding the researcher as the researcher leans in to the hug. A screen on the head shows a smiling cartoon face; a skirt is seen to the bottom of the picture, hiding a framework which gives the robot its human-like height.">Built using off-the-shelf robot arms with added soft padding, an inflatable and warmed chest area, and given a welcoming face, HuggieBot is an undeniably huggable robot.In its tested incarnation, HuggieBot 3.0 incorporates a custom sensing system dubbed HuggieChest which uses two inflated chambers of polyvinyl chloride to provide a soft surface. As a hug takes place a barometric pressure sensor and microphone serve to detect human touch, transmitting data via an Arduino Mega microcontroller board to a Robot Operating System (ROS)-based computer located in the robot&rsquo;s 3D-printed head &mdash; behind a display which provides a friendly and welcoming animated visage.The robot&rsquo;s own hugs, meanwhile, are delivered using a pair of Kinova JACO arms, mounted to a custom metal frame and each with six degrees of freedom. &ldquo;These arms were selected for being anthropomorphic, quiet, and safe,&rdquo; the researchers explain. &ldquo;Their movement speed is limited in firmware, and they can be mechanically overpowered by the user if necessary.&rdquo;<h1>Hug autonomy</h1>Initially, the team&rsquo;s testing took place as a &ldquo;Wizard of Oz&rdquo; set-up &mdash; where a remote operator, not seen by participants, controlled the robot&rsquo;s motions. Once data had been gathered from 512 human trials across 32 participants, it was used to train a machine learning system capable of detecting and classifying a range of gestures carried out by humans during a hug and which the team classified into four key intra-hug gestures: Remaining still, moving vertically, tapping or patting on the back, and tightening hold in a squeeze.&ldquo;Rather than maximizing user acceptance for each robot gesture, which would result in the robot only squeezing the user,&rdquo; the researchers note, &ldquo;our behavior algorithm balances exploration and exploitation to create a natural, spontaneous robot that provides comforting hugs.&rdquo;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUxMDA4OTA1MjM5LWh1Z2dpZTIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Diagrams of the four &quot;intra-hug gestures&quot; defined by the research team: Remaining still, moving vertically, tapping or patting on the back, and tightening the hold in a squeeze.">The researchers developed a system for detecting, classifying, and responding to four key gestures using a pressure sensor and a microphone in the robot&#39;s torso.Further testing on 16 participants certainly seems to bear that claim out: Twelve of the users were found to hug the robot for longer, subjects declared that they felt &ldquo;significantly more understood&rdquo; by the robot, and stated that the revised robot was &ldquo;significantly nicer to hug&rdquo; in its new interactive form.Perhaps the biggest outcome of the work, however, is in its extension of the earlier &quot;commandments&quot;: The team revised a guideline on hug initiation, creating a new framework for inviting a potential participant and ensuring consent, while adding new guidelines on ensuring a hugging robot is capable of automatically adapting to the user&rsquo;s height in order to avoid some below-the-belt contact which occurred during HuggieBot 3.0&rsquo;s testing, adding a requirement for gesture detection and perception, improving the speed and variety of robot responses to said gestures, and having the robot proactively provide gestures of its own.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUxMDA4OTE0MDUyLWh1Z2dpZTMuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A flow chart for the HuggieBot 3.0, showing how the robot starts by waiting for a person then initiates a hug verbally, opens its arms, begins the hug, then responds to or initiates a range of intra-hug gestures with varying probability before releasing the user at the end.">HuggieBot 3.0&#39;s gesture classification system allows it to respond to hug participants in a number of ways, providing variety and offering a more realistic experience.There&rsquo;s more to the team&rsquo;s work than simply building a better hugging robot: The researchers point to the body of work showing the benefits to physical interaction between humans, and how it may be possible to deliver at least some of the those benefits using autonomous or remotely-controlled robotic surrogate &mdash; or, as part of future work on the platform, potentially generalize HuggieBot&rsquo;s capabilities to a robot which could provide companionship and assistance in care homes, helping to address concerns regarding an ageing population and a dearth of care workers.The team&rsquo;s work has been accepted in to the journal <cite><a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3526110" target="_blank">ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction</a></cite>, and has been made available in preprint form under free access terms.<h1>References</h1>Alexis E. Block, Hasti Seifi, Otmar Hilliges, Roger Gassert, and Katherine J. Kuchenbecker: <cite>In the Arms of a Robot: Designing Autonomous Hugging Robots with Intra-Hug Gestures, ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction, Accepted February 2022</cite>. DOI <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3526110" target="_blank">10.1145/3526110</a>.Alexis E. Block, Sammy Christen, Roger Gassert, Otmar Hilliges, and Katherine J. Kuchenbecker: <cite>The Six Hug Commandments: Design and Evaluation of a Human-Sized Hugging Robot with Visual and Haptic Perception, Proceedings of the 2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction</cite>. DOI <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3434073.3444656" target="_blank">10.1145/3434073.3444656</a>.

HuggieBot, with its soft pressure-sensing torso, 3D-printed animated head, and six-degree-of-freedom arms, is a research platform into high-quality autonomous hugging.

While the concept of a hugging robot may sound bizarre, the researchers behind the project — now in its third generation — believe that such a device could have a major impact on everything from social telepresence to elder care.

Intra-hug gestures prove key to making HuggieBot 3.0 the most cuddly robot around

In the not-too-distant future, autonomous, networked vehicles will be able to handle most tasks independently. However, they are not yet capable of dealing with all traffic situations. If they encounter a problem that they do not know how to solve, safety comes first. Most of the time this would mean pulling over to the side of the road and stopping. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum f&uuml;r Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is conducting research into the teleoperation of these vehicles in order to resolve such situations safely and quickly in the future. In unclear situations, the autonomous vehicle can request teleoperation support from a technical supervisor.<h2>Teleoperation &ndash; a technological bridge and a legal requirement</h2>&quot;Teleoperation of autonomous vehicles serves as a bridge to bring existing technologies in the field of automation rapidly into use and onto the roads,&quot; says Michael Oehl of the <a href="https://www.dlr.de/SiteGlobals/Categories/Thesaurus/DLR-Institute/EN/_Research_facility/_DLR/_DLR_site_Berlin/Institute_of_Transportation_Systems.html" target="_blank" title="Institute of Transportation Systems">DLR Institute of Transportation Systems</a> in <a href="https://www.dlr.de/content/en/sites/braunschweig.html" target="_blank" title="Braunschweig">Braunschweig</a>. His team&rsquo;s work focuses on autonomous driving at SAE Level 4, where the automation takes over all of the driving tasks. The occupants do not have to intervene, even though this may remain possible using control elements such as steering wheels.Experts describe the different degrees of automation as SAE levels, based on the classification of systems for autonomous driving devised by SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers), the organisation for mobility technology. This classification ranges from Level 0 to Level 5. At Level 0, the vehicle has no automation whatsoever. Level 5 equates to full automation, where the vehicle is completely autonomous and must be able to determine the overall driving behaviour under all circumstances. The occupants are simply passengers. Humans no longer have to intervene, not even by means of teleoperation. SAE Level 4 systems are not yet ready for everyday use, but the legal framework for using them does exist in a number of places, including Germany. The &#39;Autonomous Driving Act&#39; came into force in July 2021 and the rules were specified in greater detail in the &#39;Autonomous Driving Regulations&#39;. The law allows autonomous driving at SAE Level 4 on special routes or within defined areas such as airports, logistics centres and motorways. This opens up possibilities including transporting people or goods with driverless shuttles, for example. For operation and liability, teleoperation or technical supervision &ndash; as defined in the law &ndash; plays a decisive role.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4iF_8waO3Vw?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 767px; height: 438px;"></iframe>Remote Assistance: A Key Enabler for Highly Automated Driving (SAE 4)Highly automated vehicles (SAE 4) are becoming ever more sophisticated. However, due to the sheer number of potential situations the vehicle may encounter, its automation is not yet capable of dealing seamlessly with all of them. Remote Assistance as a type of remote operation is a way to take care...Credit: &copy; DLR. All rights reserved<h2 id="isPasted">Focus on humans and automation working together</h2>&quot;We are at the beginning of development and have many ideas and concepts for making vehicle teleoperation safe and efficient,&quot; says Oehl. &quot;For now, we are concentrating primarily on the interaction between humans and automation, and on the design of the interface that this requires &ndash; the human-machine interface, or HMI for short. For example, we are looking at the form that a teleoperation workstation might take, what the job requires of people and how it has to be designed from the point of view of work and engineering psychology.&quot;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1650451290642-teleoperation-workstation.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Teleoperation workstation. Credit: &copy; DLR. All rights reserved<h2>The human factor &ndash; requirements and workplace design for teleoperation</h2>In future, several teleoperators equipped with monitors, user interfaces and headsets could sit together in a control centre, guiding autonomous vehicles at SAE Level 4 through difficult situations. Imagine a double-parked delivery vehicle, for instance. In such a scenario, a car will not drive over a solid line of its own accord but remain where it is. Similar situations can arise on construction sites that have not yet been incorporated into the system, so are not known to the automation system.Before they can grapple with these numerous scenarios, however, DLR&#39;s researchers still have to address a number of fundamental questions. What is the best way to map the vehicles for monitoring, and what information is needed? How many vehicles can a single person monitor and oversee on screen at the same time? What kind of live images can cameras in highly automated vehicles provide to help the technical supervisors make decisions? How long does it take to process a request for assistance on average? And how long does it take for operators to put themselves in the position of the vehicle and make a decision?&quot;Vigilance is particularly important in such monitoring tasks. In research, we use this term to describe a state of constant alertness. Even if nothing happens for a long time, you have to be able to react quickly when it does. Teleoperation workstations have to be specially designed in order to prevent a situation where people get distracted, switch off or start experiencing fatigue. Just like train drivers or flight controllers, these operators cannot be constantly overworked, but they must not be underchallenged either,&quot; says Oehl. In order to investigate these questions more closely in the context of the teleoperation of vehicles, the team has constructed such a workstation as a prototype. In this way, the researchers are investigating in a very application-oriented way what information teleoperators will require at their workstation in the future in order to be able to support autonomous vehicles with SAE Level 4 quickly and safely in situations that are unclear for the automation system.

Construction sites pose a challenge for autonomous vehicles. Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

In the not-too-distant future, autonomous, networked vehicles will be able to handle most tasks independently. However, they are not yet capable of dealing with all traffic situations. If they encounter a problem that they do not know how to solve, safety comes first.

Teleoperation steps in when an autonomous vehicle does not know what to do

This article was discussed in our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte&source=gmail&ust=1651619086659000&usg=AOvVaw31M1Y-wsRw4c0h8-at-VxZ" href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/e2238814-9212-4010-afb6-ac48d637140f?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-gtm-yt-inspected-1_19="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe>The full article will continue below.<hr>This article was first published on <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2022/robot-stroke-treatment-remote-0413" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>. &nbsp;<hr>MIT engineers have developed a telerobotic system to help surgeons quickly and remotely treat patients experiencing a stroke or aneurysm. With a modified joystick, surgeons in one hospital may control a robotic arm at another location to safely operate on a patient during a critical window of time that could save the patient&rsquo;s life and preserve their brain function.The robotic system, whose movement is controlled through magnets, is designed to remotely assist in endovascular intervention &mdash; a procedure performed in emergency situations to treat strokes caused by a blood clot. Such interventions normally require a surgeon to manually guide a thin wire to the clot, where it can physically clear the blockage or deliver drugs to break it up.One limitation of such procedures is accessibility: Neurovascular surgeons are often based at major medical institutions that are difficult to reach for patients in remote areas, particularly during the &ldquo;golden hour&rdquo; &mdash; the critical period after a stroke&rsquo;s onset, during which treatment should be administered to minimize any damage to the brain.The MIT team envisions that its robotic system could be installed at smaller hospitals and remotely guided by trained surgeons at larger medical centers. The system includes a medical-grade robotic arm with a magnet attached to its wrist. With a joystick and live imaging, an operator can adjust the magnet&rsquo;s orientation and manipulate the arm to guide a soft and thin magnetic wire through arteries and vessels.The researchers demonstrated the system in a &ldquo;phantom,&rdquo; a transparent model with vessels replicating complex arteries of the brain. With just an hour of training, neurosurgeons were able to remotely control the robot&rsquo;s arm to guide a wire through a maze of vessels to reach target locations in the model.&ldquo;We imagine, instead of transporting a patient from a rural area to a large city, they could go to a local hospital where nurses could set up this system. A neurosurgeon at a major medical center could watch live imaging of the patient and use the robot to operate in that golden hour. That&rsquo;s our future dream,&rdquo; says Xuanhe Zhao, a professor of mechanical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering at MIT.Zhao and his team have <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abg9907" target="_blank">published their findings</a> today in Science Robotics. MIT co-authors include lead author Yoonho Kim, Emily Genevriere, and Jaehun Choe, along with Pablo Harker, Robert Regenhardt, Justin Vranic, Adam Dmytriw, and Aman Patel at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Marcin Balicki of Philips Research North America.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IYlHl6h8lm4?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 767px; height: 427px;" data-gtm-yt-inspected-1_19="true" id="391874016"></iframe><h2 id="isPasted">Tilt and twist</h2>Endovascular surgery is a specialized, minimally invasive procedure that involves carefully twisting and guiding a thin medical wire through the body&rsquo;s arteries and vessels to a target location, in a way that avoids damaging vessel walls. The procedure typically requires years of training for a surgeon to master.Robotic systems are being explored as assistive technologies in endovascular surgery. These systems mainly involve motor drives that advance and retract a wire while twisting it through the body&rsquo;s vasculature.&ldquo;But having a robot twist with the same level of sophistication [as a surgeon] is challenging,&rdquo; Kim notes. &ldquo;Our system is based on a fundamentally different mechanism.&rdquo;The team&rsquo;s new system builds on <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2019/robot-brain-blood-vessels-0828" target="_blank">work from 2019</a>, in which they demonstrated steering a magnetically controlled thread through a life-sized silicone model of the brain&rsquo;s blood vessels. They did so at the time using a handheld magnet, about the size of a soup can, that they manually manipulated.They have since affixed the magnet to the end of a medical-grade robotic arm, which can be steered using a small joystick knob on a mouse. By tilting the joystick, researchers can tilt the magnet in an orientation that a magnetic wire can follow. Buttons on the mouse control a set of motorized linear drives, which advance and retract the wire to make it move forward and back.The wire is as thin and flexible as a conventional neurovascular guidewire, with a soft, magnetically responsive tip that follows and bends in the direction of a magnetic field.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQ5OTIzNDk1NTU1LU1JVC1Sb2JvLVN0cm9rZS0wMi1wcmVzcy5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The MIT team envisions that its robotic system could be installed at smaller hospitals and remotely guided by trained surgeons at larger medical centers. Courtesy of the researchers<h2>Finding a path</h2>The team tested the robotic system in MGH&rsquo;s Catheter Lab &mdash; an operating room with standard medical imaging equipment used in endovascular procedures. The researchers installed the robotic arm in the lab, along with a life-sized silicone model of blood vessels. They set the joystick, along with a monitor displaying a live video of the model, in a control room. From there, an operator watched the video while using the joystick to remotely steer the wire through the vessels.The team trained a group of neurosurgeons to use the robotic system. After just one hour of training, each surgeon was able to successfully operate the system to guide the wire through complex vessels that are difficult to navigate with a manual guidewire.The team also used the robotic system to clear simulated clots in difficult-to-reach areas in the model. They steered the guidewire through vessels, and around sharp corners and turns, to reach regions where the researchers simulated clots. Once they guided the wire to the clot, the surgeons proceeded with standard endovascular methods to thread a microcatheter along the wire to the site of the clot. They retracted the wire, leaving the catheter, which they then applied to successfully remove the clot.&ldquo;The primary purpose of the magnetic guidewire is to get to the target location quickly and safely, so that standard devices like microcatheters can be used to deliver therapeutics,&rdquo; Kim says. &ldquo;Our system is like a pathfinder.&rdquo;He hopes that the teleoperated system can help more patients receive time-critical treatment. He also sees benefits for surgeons, who typically perform such vascular procedures in the same room as the patient, while being exposed to radiation from X-ray imaging.&ldquo;The neurosurgeons can operate the robot in another room or even in another city without repeated exposure to X-rays,&rdquo; Zhao says. &ldquo;We are truly excited about the potential impact of this technology on global health, given that stroke is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability.&rdquo;<hr>&quot;Reprinted with permission of <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2022/robot-stroke-treatment-remote-0413" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>&quot;&nbsp;

MIT engineers developed a telerobotic system to help surgeons remotely treat patients experiencing stroke or aneurysm. With a modified joystick, surgeons may control a robotic arm at another hospital to operate on a patient. Courtesy of the researchers

The system could provide teleoperated endovascular treatment to patients during the critical time window after a stroke begins.

Joystick-operated robot could help surgeons treat stroke remotely

The android called Kannon Mindar. Photo by Richard Atrero de Guzman 

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