Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 22
WOULD HAVE US BELIEVE ROBOTS
are taking over the world. That there is a
suspicious breed of androids secretly watching our every move, poised to take our jobs.
But Ryerson researchers are shattering
that version of science fiction by finding
inventive ways to use robots for the good
of society.
History professor Jean Li spent several
weeks last summer in Egypt investigating el-Hibeh, a 3,000-year-old city three
hours south of Cairo that was founded at
the turn of the first millennium BC. About
two square kilometres in size, the site boasts
a once-impressive town wall enclosing an
ancient settlement with desert cemeteries.
Since it was first discovered, the site has
been affected by age, erosion and looting.
It's unsafe and inadvisable for humans to
enter the underground tunnels at el-Hibeh,
so Li turned to modern technology to investigate ancient Egyptian history. To get a look
at what lies beneath the surface, Li took with
her a six-wheel metal robot designed to traverse rough terrain and sandy depths. It was
designed in collaboration with Alexander
Ferworn, computer science professor and
program director of the master of digital
media (MDM) program.
Mounted with a GoPro camera, the robot
travelled underground as deep as 27 metres
in one tunnel, while relaying information
back to Li and the team, which included digital archeology specialists Namir Ahmed,
co-ordinator of the Library's Isaac Olowolafe
Jr. Digital Media Experience Lab, and creative industries professor Michael Carter.
"Overall it was a successful mission," Li
said. "The robot was deployed six times over
four days and helped us assess the environment. There's nothing that can replace the
human experience of going through a site,
but this is the first step in learning about the
site. The robot was meant to be a tool, not to
replace the human archeological element.
"This is all in the spirit of exploration. The
site at one time was a town where people
lived, loved and died. They have left behind
signs of their life and we're rounding out a
picture of the past that seems so removed
from modern society. It helps us figure out
how we got here."
Transdisciplinary collaboration was a
crucial part of the project. Students from
Ferworn's MDM program, along with computer science undergraduates, constructed
six robot prototypes. MDM graduate Rob
Blain and computer science PhD candidate
Jimmy Tran contributed to the final robot
prototype that went to Egypt. Blain, along
with MDM alumnus Kristian Howald,
also redesigned the el-Hibeh website and
designed the new virtual realit y reconstruction of the el-Hibeh temple. A team
of graduate students from the University
of California Berkeley, a research partner,
assisted Li in Egypt.
The project was funded through an interdisciplinary grant from the Office of the
Provost and Vice-President, Academic, along
with funding from the Faculties of Science
and Arts, Yeates School of Graduate Studies,
the Department of Computer Science,
Chang School of Continuing Education and
the Library.
For Ferworn, the collaboration was an
important part of informing his work as a
roboticist interested in public safety.
"Most of my research involves public
safety; robotics is a part of that," he said.
"Without the cross-disciplinary collaboration, we couldn't expand knowledge. I'm
a big believer in it. Robotics can expand
the tools available to archeologists and
help keep people safe in difficult working
environments."
F
OR FRAUKE ZELLER, a professor in the School of Professional
Communication, robotics has become
about culture, a way to study a more formal
relationship with robots.
Below: The robot heading into an underground
tunnel at el-Hibeh. Right: Professor Jean Li (left)
preparing the robot onsite.
" T H E ROB O T WA S A LWAY S
M E A N T T O BE A T O OL , NO T
T O R E PL AC E T H E H U M A N
A RC H E OL O GIC A L E L E M E N T,"
L I S A I D.
22
Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2018
PHOTOGRAPH (WALSH MATTHEWS) CHRISTOPHER MANSON, DOCUMENTARY MEDIA (MASTER'S) '11
SCIENCE
FICTION
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