Head and neck assembly of a humanoid robot

1 . A humanoid robot comprising:

a sagittal plane and a transverse plane;

an upper region including: (i) a torso, (ii) a pair of arm assemblies coupled to the torso, and (iii) a head and neck assembly coupled to the torso and having:

a neck portion; and

a head portion coupled to the neck portion and including:

a head housing assembly including: (i) a first shell having an outer surface that is curved along the sagittal plane and a plane that is parallel with the transverse plane, and (ii) a second shell coupled to the first shell to define a head volume between the first and second shells; and

an electronic assembly including: (i) a component positioned within the head housing assembly and configured to emit light through the first shell, (ii) a sensor positioned within the head housing assembly and configured to obtain data through the first shell, and (iii) an inertial measurement unit positioned within the head housing assembly; and

a lower region coupled to the upper region and spaced apart from the upper region, the lower region including a pair of legs.

2 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the first shell is substantially obscures the sensor from an external viewpoint.

3 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , further comprising:

a recess formed in the head housing assembly, and

a light emitter configured to emit light to illuminate a portion of the recess.

4 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein an extent of a rear edge of the first shell is spaced a distance from and does not abut an extent of a frontal edge of the second shell.

5 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the head portion further includes a microphone with an extent that is positioned within the head volume and is configured to enable the robot to detect the location from where a sound originated.

6 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein an internal fan is positioned within the head housing assembly and configured to forcefully expel air through sections in the neck portion.

7 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the component is a light emitting diode and the light through the first shell is configured to at least indicate an operating status of the humanoid robot.

8 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein when the head portion is in a forward-facing position, an angle that is between 5 degrees and 25 degrees is formed between a line of sight of the sensor and a horizontal plane that is parallel to the transverse plane of the humanoid robot.

9 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , further comprising a component configured to illuminate a region that is adjacent to a rear edge of the first shell, and wherein the color of the illuminated region is configured to convey information to a nearby person.

10 . A humanoid robot comprising:

a sagittal plane and a transverse plane;

an upper region including: (i) a torso, (ii) a pair of arm assemblies coupled to the torso, and (iii) a head and neck assembly coupled to the torso and having:

a neck portion; and

a head portion coupled to the neck portion and including:

a head housing assembly including:

(i) a first shell having a tinted appearance, a dioptric power of less than 0 . 25 diopters, and including an outer surface that is curved along the sagittal plane and a plane that is parallel with the transverse plane, and

(ii) a second shell coupled to the first shell to define a head volume between the first and second shells; and

an electronic assembly including a sensor positioned within the head housing assembly and configured to obtain data through an extent of the first shell; and

a lower region coupled to the upper region and spaced apart from the upper region, the lower region including a pair of legs.

11 . The humanoid robot of claim 10 , wherein when the head portion is in a forward-facing position, an angle that is between 5 degrees and 25 degrees is formed between a line of sight of the sensor and a horizontal plane that is parallel to the transverse plane.

12 . The humanoid robot of claim 10 , wherein the head portion further includes a microphone with an extent that is positioned within the head housing assembly.

13 . The humanoid robot of claim 10 , wherein the head portion includes a total surface area, and wherein the first shell occupies less than 50% of the total surface area of the head portion.

14 . The humanoid robot of claim 10 , wherein air is forcefully expelled through sections in the neck portion that are substantially concealed by a deformable cover.

15 . The humanoid robot of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of light sources positioned within the head housing, and wherein each light source of the plurality of light sources is configured to emit light through the first shell.

16 . The humanoid robot of claim 10 , wherein the light sources are configured to illuminate a region that is adjacent to a rear edge of the first shell, and wherein the color of the illuminated region is configured to convey operational information to a nearby person.

17 . A humanoid robot comprising:

a transverse plane and a sagittal plane;

an upper region including: (i) a torso, (ii) a pair of arm assemblies coupled to the torso, and (iii) a head and neck assembly coupled to the torso and having:

a neck portion; and

a head portion coupled to the neck portion and including:

a head housing assembly including:

a first cover having an outer surface that is curved along a plane that is parallel with the transverse plane, and

a second cover positioned adjacent to the first cover to define a head volume between the first and second covers;

a first camera positioned within the head volume and having a first line of sight; and

a second camera positioned within the head volume and having a second line of sight, and wherein the first and second cameras are not coupled to the same PCB and the first and second lines of sight are positioned in a line of sight plane that is substantially perpendicular to the sagittal.

18 . The humanoid robot of claim 17 , wherein the first camera includes a first camera lens and the second camera includes a second camera lens, and wherein the first cover includes: (i) a first opening that is configured to receive an extent of the first camera lens, and (ii) a second opening that is configured to receive an extent of the second camera lens.

19 . The humanoid robot of claim 18 , further comprising a component configured to illuminate a region that is adjacent to a rear edge of the first cover, and wherein a color of the illuminated region is configured to convey information to a nearby person.

20 . The humanoid robot of claim 17 , wherein the head portion further includes a microphone with an extent that is positioned within the head housing assembly.

21 . The humanoid robot of claim 17 , wherein a majority of the head housing assembly is opaque.

22 . The humanoid robot of claim 21 , wherein the majority of the head housing assembly is covered in a fabric material.

23 . The humanoid robot of claim 10 , wherein the majority of the head housing assembly is covered in a fabric material.

24 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the head housing assembly includes a depth that extends from a forward most point of the first shell to a rearmost point of the second shell, and wherein the head portion lacks a flat surface that span a majority of the depth of the head.

25 . The humanoid robot of claim 17 , wherein the head housing assembly includes a depth that extends from a forward most point of the first cover to a rearmost point of the second cover, and wherein the second cover includes an exterior surface that lacks a flat surface that span a majority of the depth of the head.

26 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the head housing assembly includes a height that extends between the crown and the upper extent of the neck region and a width that extends between the outermost points that are positioned in a plan that is parallel with the transverse plane, and wherein the height is greater than the width.

27 . The humanoid robot of claim 10 , wherein the first shell includes a height and a width, and wherein the height is greater than the width.

28 . The humanoid robot of claim 17 , wherein the first cover includes a height and a width, and wherein the height is greater than the width.

29 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the first shell includes a first lower width that extends between a first pair of opposed points that are located on a rear edge of the first shell, and a second upper width that extends between a first pair of opposed points that are located on a rear edge of the first shell, and wherein the first lower width is not equal to the second upper width.