3. The two tracks: manipulation and locomotion

What do kiwis have to do with creating more advanced digital twins? Hosts Anic van Damme and Steven van Roon unravel it in the third episode. They interview the founders of the MyoChallenge and zoom in on the two tracks in this year’s challenge: manipulation and locomotion. 

Last year's challenge involved manipulation in a hand model, focusing on in-hand manipulation, showing the complexity of fine control. This year, the founders extended the challenge by introducing a second track. In in-depth discussions with Vittorio Caggiano, Vikash Kumar and Massimo Sartori you hear about the motivation behind the tracks and the main difficulties. 

The manipulation track challenges participants to develop policies for a human arm model, encompassing the elbow and shoulder. Simultaneously, the locomotion track introduces a digital twin walking, chasing, and evading opponents in varied terrains. The founders discuss the importance of generalizability and how MyoSuite, an open-source platform, facilitates advancements in AI and robotics. 

Tune in to witness the convergence of AI and biomechanics, steering towards a future of personalized, transformative healthcare. The founders of the MyoChallenge envision a future where digital twins revolutionize healthcare with personalized and efficient AI applications.

The MyoChallenge Podcast brings you the story behind a global competition focusing around 1 simple question: how do humans move? Discover how digital twins can master complex movements in a virtual body. Through in-depth interviews with the founders, you find out how this can enhance future healthcare. 

Speakers: 

Massimo Sartori, professor Neuromechanical Engineering at the University of Twente.

Vittorio Caggiano, former AI lead at Meta AI.

Vikash Kumar, adjunct professor Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

The University of Twente’s Robotics Centre conducts multidisciplinary research, offers world-class education programs and works with global partners on innovative projects to develop groundbreaking technology that addresses the most challenging questions of today and tomorrow.