Joint Junior Undergraduate Seminar of UT and TUA with NAOs

The joint junior undergraduate seminar between the University of Tokyo (UT) and Tokyo University of the Arts (TUA) started in the Winter semester 2010. The junior students in Departments of Mechanical Engineering/ Mechano-Informatics, UT, and Department of Sculpture, TUA, discuss and work on the Beauty of Posture and Motion of Humanoid Robots. The seminar is co-organized by Tatoru Kitago, Professor and Vice President of TUA, Wataru Takano, Lecturer of UT, and myself. Humanoid robots, NAO, are used in the seminar. Each of three groups consists of students from both of TUA and UT and uses each NAO. On December 1st, 2010, each of the groups choreographed a short motion of NAO synchronized with music. After a few weeks of programing training, the students are getting used to it and starting to think about the beauty of posture and motion. (video)