Interaction device for a biomimetic robot and external interaction device

Abstract

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of bionic robots, and particularly relates to an interaction device for a bionic robot and an external interaction device. The device comprises: a device body arranged to be mounted to the end of a robot limb; an NFC card reader, an inductive surface of the NFC card reader being arranged to be capable of facing and approaching an NFC tag on an object to be identified when the end of the robot limb is in contact with the object to be identified by movement to perform identification; a fixing member; a mechanical and electrical interface. The device enables the robot to read rich structured data (such as object identity, owner, use history, operation instructions, etc.) stored in an object NFC tag while performing natural physical operations such as grabbing and touching, endows the robot with information acquisition capability beyond visual perception, provides a silent, non-voice and non-vision information receiving channel for the robot, and expands the dimension of information interaction between the bionic robot and the outside world.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this application relate to the field of biomimetic robot technology, specifically to an interactive device and an external interactive device for a biomimetic robot. Background Technology

[0002] The statements herein are provided merely as background information in connection with this application and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] Bionic robots primarily rely on visual systems (such as cameras and depth sensors) and voice interaction systems to perceive the external world. While visual systems can effectively identify the physical attributes of objects, such as shape, color, and position, they have inherent limitations in the dimensions of information they acquire. For example, for items that look similar but have vastly different intrinsic information (such as medications for different patients or books by different authors), visual systems struggle to directly obtain their inherent, non-visual information, such as the item's owner, usage history, operation logs, specific commands, or digital identity. This significantly limits the depth and accuracy of personalized and traceable services that robots can provide.

[0004] On the other hand, robots rely heavily on voice broadcasts or displays to transmit information. While voice interaction is natural, the information it transmits is often transient and unstructured, making it difficult to efficiently and accurately convey structured data in formats such as XML / JSON, encrypted credentials, or complex operating instructions. In noisy environments, the reliability of voice communication is further reduced. This "one-way" and "shallow" information interaction mode makes it difficult for robots to establish efficient and reliable digital links with the outside world.

[0005] Therefore, biomimetic robots urgently need a device that can be embedded in the robot's natural operating behavior, expanding the breadth and depth of its information interaction without changing the robot's original work process (such as grasping and touching). Summary of the Invention

[0006] A brief overview of this application is provided below to offer a basic understanding of certain aspects thereof. It should be understood that this overview is not an exhaustive summary of the application. It is not intended to identify key or essential parts of the application, nor is it intended to limit its scope. Its purpose is merely to present certain concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an interactive device for a bionic robot, the device comprising: a device body configured to be mounted to the end effector of a robot limb; an NFC reader, wherein the sensing surface of the NFC reader is arranged such that when the end effector of the robot limb comes into contact with an object to be identified for identification by movement, the sensing surface is oriented toward and close to an NFC tag on the object to be identified; a fastener configured to fix the NFC reader to the device body; and a mechanical and electrical interface for connecting the device to the bionic robot limb and enabling communication and power supply.

[0008] The device provided in this application integrates an NFC reader into the end effector of a robot, enabling the robot to seamlessly read rich structured data (such as item identity, owner, usage history, and operation instructions) stored in the NFC tag of an object while performing natural physical operations such as grasping and touching. This expands the robot's information acquisition capabilities beyond visual perception. By specifically arranging the sensing surface of the NFC reader so that it "faces and approaches" the NFC tag when touching an object, coupling between the reader and the tag is ensured, effectively avoiding the problems of far-field reading being susceptible to environmental electromagnetic interference, misreading, or missed reading. The device integrates the NFC reader, mechanical and electrical interfaces into an independent modular unit through the device body and fixing components. It has a compact structure, is easy to install and disassemble, and can directly replace the robot's original end effector (such as a bionic finger) without requiring large-scale modifications to the robot body. This device provides the robot with a silent, non-voice, and non-visual information receiving channel, expanding the dimensions of bionic robots' interaction with the outside world.

[0009] An embodiment of this application also provides an external interaction device for a bionic robot, the device comprising: a device body configured to be installed at the end of a robot limb where it contacts an object; a fixing member configured to be detachably installed within the device body; an NFC card fixed to the fixing member, the sensing surface of which is flush with the contact end face of the device body and located in the center region of the end face; and a mechanical and electrical interface for connecting the device to the limb of the bionic robot and enabling communication and power supply.

[0010] The device provided in this application integrates an NFC card into the end effector of a bionic robot, making the end effector a "smart tag" carrying a digital identity. By integrating the NFC card onto a detachable fastener, the NFC card can be replaced as needed. The sensing surface is flush with the contact surface of the device body and located in the center of the surface, allowing for better external reading of the information in the NFC card. When the robot comes into contact with an external NFC reader (such as an access control system or smart device), it can passively and seamlessly transmit its identity ID, task instructions, and other structured information. This eliminates the need for complex voice or network authentication processes and allows for the exchange of information far exceeding what voice can convey. Furthermore, through simple contact actions, the robot can be detected by smart devices in the environment, triggering the devices to perform specific operations. This expands the bionic robot's capabilities from perceiving the environment to being perceived by the environment, while also improving the stability of the interaction.

[0011] These and other advantages of this application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To further illustrate the above and other advantages and features of this application, the specific embodiments of this application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings, together with the following detailed description, are included in and form a part of this specification. Elements having the same function and structure are indicated by the same reference numerals. It should be understood that these drawings only depict typical examples of this application and should not be considered as limiting the scope of this application.

[0013] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of an interactive device for a biomimetic robot according to this application;

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an external interaction device for a biomimetic robot according to this application.

[0015] It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but are shown only in a schematic manner without affecting the reader's understanding.

[0016] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0017] 10. Device body; 11. NFC card reader; 12. Sensing surface; 13. Fixture; 14. Mechanical and electrical interface;

[0018] 20. Device body; 21. Fixture; 22. NFC card; 23. Sensing surface; 24. Mechanical and electrical interface. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Exemplary embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For clarity and brevity, not all features of actual implementations are described in the specification. However, it should be understood that many implementation-specific decisions must be made in the development of any such actual embodiment to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as complying with constraints related to the system and business, and these constraints may vary depending on the implementation. Furthermore, it should be understood that while development work can be very complex and time-consuming, such development work is merely a routine task for those skilled in the art who benefit from the content of this application.

[0020] It should also be noted that, in order to avoid obscuring this application with unnecessary details, only the equipment structure and / or processing steps closely related to the solution according to this application are shown in the accompanying drawings, while other details that are not closely related to this application are omitted.

[0021] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this application shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by a person with ordinary skills in the field to which this application pertains.

[0022] In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0023] In related technologies, bionic robots primarily rely on vision systems for object recognition and interaction. When acquiring information, they mainly rely on recognizing the appearance, shape, QR codes, or surface text of objects. This approach can only capture external features and struggles to obtain in-depth information such as object ownership and maintenance records. Furthermore, it is susceptible to interference from similar-looking objects. Simultaneously, bionic robots heavily depend on voice systems for information transmission, consuming significant computational resources and limiting the information that can be transmitted. Besides using vision systems for positioning and information interaction, NFC technology can also be used. Based on near-field electromagnetic coupling, this technology enables data interaction, providing secure and stable communication suitable for identity verification and information reading (such as card information).

[0024] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide an interactive device for biomimetic robots. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an interactive device for a biomimetic robot according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 1As shown, the device includes: a device body 10 configured to be mounted on the end effector of a robot limb; an NFC reader 11, wherein the sensing surface 12 of the NFC reader 11 is arranged such that when the end effector of the robot limb comes into contact with an object to be identified for identification by movement, the sensing surface 12 can face and be close to the NFC tag on the object to be identified; a fastener 13 configured to fix the NFC reader 11 to the device body 10; and a mechanical and electrical interface 14 for connecting the device to the bionic robot limb and enabling communication and power supply.

[0025] The device provided in this application integrates an NFC reader 11 into the end effector of a robot, enabling the robot to seamlessly read rich structured data (such as item identity, owner, usage history, and operation instructions) stored in the NFC tag of an object while performing natural physical operations such as grasping and touching. This expands the robot's information acquisition capabilities beyond visual perception. By specifically arranging the sensing surface 12 of the NFC reader 11 so that it "faces and approaches" the NFC tag when touching an object, coupling between the reader and the tag is ensured, effectively avoiding the problems of far-field reading being susceptible to environmental electromagnetic interference, misreading, or missed reading. The device integrates the NFC reader 11 and the mechanical and electrical interface 14 into an independent modular unit through the device body 10 and the fixing component 13. The structure is compact, easy to install and disassemble, and can directly replace the robot's original end effector (such as a bionic finger) without requiring large-scale modification of the robot body. This device provides the robot with a silent, non-voice, and non-visual information receiving channel, expanding the dimensions of information interaction between the bionic robot and the outside world.

[0026] In some embodiments, the device body is configured to mimic the end-effector shape of a bionic limb, and the sensing surface of the NFC reader is located at the part of the bionic limb that commonly contacts objects.

[0027] The embodiments provided in this application integrate the sensing surface into the part of the bionic end (such as the fingertip) that most frequently contacts the object, ensuring that data reading and writing can be completed seamlessly and accurately during instinctive actions such as grasping and pressing. This eliminates the need for additional, unnatural positioning actions for the interaction, greatly improving the intuitiveness and efficiency of the interaction. The NFC information interaction process is highly consistent with the natural behavior pattern of robots. At the same time, by placing the sensing surface directly at the primary contact point, the optimal coupling distance and orientation between the NFC reader and the tag can be ensured at the moment of mechanical contact, effectively avoiding reading failures caused by positional deviations and optimizing the reliability of information reading.

[0028] In some embodiments, the device further includes a tactile sensor disposed at the point where the device body contacts the object, wherein the sensing surface is flush with the contact end surface of the device body.

[0029] The embodiments provided in this application, by placing a tactile sensor at the point where the device body contacts the object, enable the robot to accurately determine the occurrence and force of the contact event, ensuring that the NFC reader's reading action is only initiated upon valid contact. This multimodal sensing fusion not only avoids invalid scanning of the NFC module and reduces power consumption, but also improves the determinism and reliability of the entire interaction process.

[0030] In some embodiments, the device further includes: a UWB card reader, the UWB card reader and the NFC card reader being connected to a fixing member, wherein the angle between the antenna array of the UWB card reader and the normal direction of the sensing surface of the NFC card reader is no greater than 30°.

[0031] The embodiments provided in this application integrate UWB and NFC technologies. The UWB reader can initially locate an object at medium to long distances, guiding the robot's limbs to efficiently approach the target. At close range, the NFC, with its consistent orientation, enables precise data interaction. The angle between the two technologies ensures consistency in detection and interaction directions, forming a complete workflow of UWB coarse positioning guidance and NFC fine interaction confirmation, thus improving the robot's autonomous interaction efficiency and success rate in complex environments.

[0032] Embodiments of this application also provide an external interaction device for a bionic robot. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an external interaction device for a bionic robot according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown, the device includes: a device body 20, which is configured to be installed at the end of a robot limb where it contacts an object; a fastener 21, which is configured to be detachably installed within the device body 20; an NFC card 22, which is fixed to the fastener 21, with its sensing surface 23 flush with the contact end face of the device body 20 and located in the center area of ​​the end face; and a mechanical and electrical interface 24, used to connect the device to the bionic robot limb and enable communication and power supply.

[0033] The device provided in this application integrates a device body 20 containing an NFC card 22 into the end effector of a bionic robot limb, making the end effector a "smart tag" carrying a digital identity. Furthermore, by integrating the NFC card 22 onto a detachable fastener 21, the NFC card 22 can be replaced as needed. The sensing surface 23 is flush with the contact surface of the device body 20 and located in the center of the surface, allowing for better external reading of the information in the NFC card 22. When the robot comes into contact with an external NFC reader (such as an access control system or smart device), it can passively and seamlessly transmit its identity ID, task instructions, and other structured information. This eliminates the need for complex voice or network authentication processes and allows for the exchange of information far exceeding what voice can convey. On the other hand, through simple contact actions, the robot can be detected by smart devices in the environment, triggering the devices to perform specific operations. This expands the bionic robot's capabilities from perceiving the environment to being perceived by the environment, while also improving the stability of the interaction.

[0034] Regarding the embodiments of this application, it should also be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of this application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other to obtain new embodiments.

[0035] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. The scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An interactive device for biomimetic robots, characterized in that, The device includes: The device body is configured to be mounted onto the end of a robot's limb; An NFC reader, wherein the sensing surface of the NFC reader is arranged such that when the robot's end effector comes into contact with the object to be identified for identification by moving, the sensing surface can face and be close to the NFC tag on the object to be identified. A fastener configured to secure the NFC reader to the device body; Mechanical and electrical interfaces are used to connect the device to the bionic robot limbs and enable communication and power supply.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The device body is constructed to mimic the end shape of a bionic limb, and the sensing surface of the NFC reader is located at the part of the bionic limb that frequently touches objects.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The device also includes a tactile sensor, which is disposed at the point where the device body contacts the object, with its sensing surface flush with the contact end surface of the device body.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The device also includes a UWB card reader, the UWB card reader and the NFC card reader are connected to the fixing component, and the angle between the antenna array of the UWB card reader and the normal direction of the sensing surface of the NFC card reader is no greater than 30°.

5. An external interaction device for a biomimetic robot, characterized in that, The device includes: The device body is configured to be installed at the end of a robot's limb where it contacts an object; A fastener, which is configured to be detachably mounted within the device body; An NFC card is fixed to the fixing member, with its sensing surface flush with the contact end surface of the device body and located in the center area of ​​the end surface. Mechanical and electrical interfaces are used to connect the device to the bionic robot limbs and enable communication and power supply.

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