Humanized robot draws science kudos

Richard Tedesco

The idea, Herricks High School junior Andrew Lee said, was to build an expressive robot to interact with human beings.

“Often now in popular culture we see a lot of robots. Why not try to integrate them in society?” Lee said.

Lee’s idea and its execution recently earned him a first place finish in the engineering category of the 2013 International Sustainable World Engineering, Energy & Environment Project Olympiad.  

The robot, which Andrew designed with his mentor Jared Frank, followed extensive lab work at New York University Politechnic Institute, 

In winning first place, Lee also led an impressive lineup of Herricks research science scholars who have been hitting academic home runs in recent national competitions.

Seniors Benjamin Pleat and sophomore ByeongHo Jung took third and fourth place honors in their respective categories of earth and planetary science and environmental science at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair two weeks ago in Phoenix, Ariz. 

Pleat’s Intel project was a report on research he conducted in  identifying possible sources of geothermal energy that could be tapped beneath the earth’s surface in Nevada, southern Oregon and Utah. He was among 300 high school students in the country recognized for science research projects as semifinalists in the annual Intel Science Talent Search in January

Jong’s Intel project focused on the adverse effects that nonylphenols, commonly present in detergent waste water, have on human digestive systems, causing inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory bowel disease is an autoimmune disease in which macrophages, white blood cells that eat other cells in the body, mistakenly attack intestinal linigs or tissues caushing chronic inflammation.    

In Jong’s lab work, conducted at SUNY Old Westbury, with a teammate from Manhasset High School. 

Their research confirmed that nonylphenols not only caused onset of autoimmune disease in the bowels but also promotes and prolongs the progression of inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease. Further research would focus on effects of chronic exposure to nonylphenols.

Lee’s robot prototype consists of the head and neck of a robot that can move its eyes to track a person in a room, move its mouth to speak to the user and can communicate through a mobile interface with a smart phone.

But, Lee said, the prototype is just his first step. His plan, he said, is to keep working on the design to flesh out CESAR (Cellularly Accessible Expressive Semi-Autonomous Robot) so that it  will have a torso with functional arms and legs and will both interact with humans directly or remotely.

“It was a combined effort between me and my mentor,” Lee said.

Lee said he did the mechanical work and the construction of the robotic head while Frank did the programming and the electronics. The project took about a year, starting last May with Lee spending five days a week, six hours a day in the week over the summer in the lab. 

In the run-up to the engineering, energy and environment olympiad on May 8, he said he spent Saturdays and Sundays in the lab putting the finishing touches on CESAR.

He said he sees the robot’s potential for helping disabled people cope with household tasks as well as serving similar functions for able-bodied people. 

He said plans to work on a second prototype of a head and neck for CESAR this summer. He said he and Frank are planning to develop a software design in a program called SolidWorks 3D to market the design to people who could then build the actual robot themselves.

“We might be able to do it through the school,” he said, referring to NYU, where he’s considering going for his college studies in robotics. 

Lee said earning recognition for his work, which included a research paper he wrote about CESAR, was an exhilarating experience.

“I was really overjoyed. It was my first time competing in that competition,” he said.

Lee and Pleat are teammates on the Herricks tennis team and Lee also plays as a lineman on the Herricks football squad.

Pleat said he put in seven-hour days, six days a week over the summer doing his research at Stonybrook University under the direction of Dr. William Holt.

He said he focused on points of stress in the tectonic plates in the far west that can produce earthquakes. He initially continued research similar to work Holt had undertaken 10 years ago to research tremors that might help predict earthquakes before his work shifted into the area of geothermal energy research.

“It’s one of the cleanest energy options. It’s an infinite source in many ways,” Pleat said. “There are not too many [geothermal] plants in the west. The energy there is largely untapped.”

He said it was “cool to see how research in the lab could potentially affect the energy market in the U.S. and the world.” 

Pleat said he’s always been interested in alternative energy and the application of mathematics to practical problems. He said it was “a great experience” being able to peruse project produced by students from 40 countries around the world at the international Intel competition.

“It was pretty inspiring. It was definitely great to see how similar-aged individuals were able to excel in the laboratory,” Pleat said.

Next fall Pleat will be attending Harvard University, where he said he plans to continue research that could potentially have an impact on development of alternative energy sources in this country. He said he will likely be a mathematics and science major.

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