As part of her assistive technology research, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering created a sophisticated humanoid robot. The two-foot-tall humanoid robot is a NAO robot. Dubbed by its creators as the Tai Chi leader, it is a highly sophisticated system that can be programmed with specific functions and tasks.

Zhi Zheng, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, said that they don’t have to build their own robot hardware because good commercial platforms are available. Yet, how it behaves solely depends on how they design the control programs. She said that the central part of their research is how they control the robots to do cognitive and physical instruction properly. She added that the robot does not know how to behave coming out of the box. So, they teach it how to function.

Tai Chi, a popular mind-body exercise, is consisted of choreographed movements, meditation, and proper breathing. To memorize the patterned gestures, the professional must use various cognitive functions, including working memory and visual-spatial processing. Movement increases blood flow through the brain, which has been shown to benefit longevity, memory, and learning in older adults.
As part of her assistive technology research, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering created a sophisticated humanoid robot.
See more in the article by Michelle Codiva