FIBO KMUTT, the only qualifying team from Southeast Asia to advance in the $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE Competition

FIBO from KMUTT is the only qualifying team from Southeast Asia to advance in the $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE Competition

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siam Charoenseang, Director of Institute of FIeld roBOtics (FIBO), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) disclosed that FIBO Team led by Mr.Thanacha Choopojcharoen (Project Director), Mr.Bawornsak Saukulkueakulsuk (Deputy Project Director), Dr. Narongsak Tirasuntarakul, Mr.Kitti Thamrongaphichartkul,  Ms. Poonsiri Jailungka, and Mr.Chaowwalit Thammantinno,  has brought such pride as it is the only qualifying team from the country and Southeast Asia to advance in the $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE. This has unquestionably demonstrated FIBO’s expertise and capabilities of the functional avatar solution, and exemplary teamwork at an international level.

Sponsored by All Nippon Airways (ANA), this four-year global competition focuses on the development of an avatar system to deploy the senses, actions, and presence of a human to a remote location in real time. Avatars have potentials to work on various scenarios such as providing care, relieving disaster, and offering unique services or rare trade skills for critical maintenance and repairs. It is one of the most challenging, and business-oriented robotics contests whose panel of judges include independent and world-renowned experts from a diverse range of disciplines: haptics, VR, computer vision, engineering, sensors, AI and ethics.

“After a proposal submission, we are now bringing our avatar to life to perform various tasks e.g. picking up and throwing balls to recipient, handshaking with haptic sensory, hugging, identifying object’s shapes via haptic feedback, determining a weight of an object, detecting human via camera or other sensory system, and mapping autonomously. We are welcoming sponsors who would like to support FIBO team in forms of expertise and financing. Any individuals or organization interested in joining this exciting project and supporting Thai students can contact information@fibo.kmutt.ac.th,” said Mr. Choopojcharoen.