A Theatrical Mobile-Dexterous Robot Directed through Shared Autonomy

We present the deployment of a 16-DoF dual-arm mobile manipulator as an on-stage actor in the MIT2016 Pageant, a 60 minute live play performed for the centennial celebration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus move from Boston to Cambridge. The robot performed using expressive motions, navigated a 250ft-long thrust stage through a wireless connection, and was directed remotely by a human operator using a shared autonomy system. We report on the technical framework and human-robot interaction that enabled the performance, including motion planning, coordination of action with human actors, and the challenges in navigation, manipulation, perception and system reliability