Imaging system, imaging apparatus, imaging method and program

Abstract

To perform moving image imaging of an imaging object at accurate timing.SOLUTION: In a terminal device 50, a gesture selection unit 514 selects a gesture to cause an imaging object to execute. An imaging unit 560 performs moving image imaging of the imaging object. An imaging control unit 513 causes the imaging object to execute the gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514, and causes the imaging unit 560 to finish moving image imaging at timing corresponding to timing in which the imaging object finishes the gesture.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging system, an imaging device, an imaging method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known electronic devices that mimic living things such as pets and humans. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous pet-type robot that learns and grows while communicating with a user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-225875 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In electronic devices that mimic living things, there is a demand for recording the autonomous behavior of the electronic devices in video format. However, when the subject to be recorded acts autonomously, it is difficult to predict the timing of the behavior, which poses a problem in that it is difficult to record the video at the right timing.

[0005] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an imaging system, an imaging device, an imaging method, and a program that are capable of capturing video of a subject at the right timing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the imaging system according to the present invention comprises: A gesture selection means for selecting a gesture to be performed by the subject to be photographed; An imaging means for capturing a moving image of the subject; a gesture control means for causing the subject to perform the gesture selected by the gesture selection means; a photographing control means for causing the photographing means to end the video photographing at a timing corresponding to a timing at which the photographing subject ends the gesture; The present invention is characterized by comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, moving images of a subject can be captured at an appropriate timing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the overall configuration of a robot system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a robot according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a housing of the robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing the movement of a twist motor of the robot according to the first embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a second diagram showing the movement of the twist motor of the robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a first diagram showing the movement of the up and down motor of the robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a second diagram showing the movement of the up and down motor of the robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a robot according to a first embodiment. [Figure 9] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a terminal device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an emotion map according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a personality value radar chart according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of gesture information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13]FIG. 4 is a first diagram showing an example of a coefficient table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a second diagram illustrating an example of a coefficient table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a robot control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a gesture control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a shooting mode screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a video playback screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a moving image shooting process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 20] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a gesture selection process by voice input according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) 1 shows a schematic configuration of a robot system 1 according to the embodiment 1. The robot system 1 includes a robot 20 and a terminal device 50. The robot 20 is an example of the electronic device according to the embodiment 1.

[0011] The robot 20 is a device that operates autonomously without direct operation by a user. The robot 20 is a pet robot that imitates a small animal. The robot 20 has an exterior 201 that is equipped with decorative parts that imitate eyes and fluffy fur.

[0012] 2 and 3, the robot 20 includes a housing 207. The housing 207 is covered by the exterior 201 and is stored inside the exterior 201. The housing 207 includes a head 204, a connecting portion 205, and a body portion 206. The connecting portion 205 connects the head 204 and the body portion 206 together.

[0013] Exterior 201 is an example of an exterior member, and has a bag-like shape that is long in the front-rear direction and capable of housing 207 inside. Exterior 201 is formed in a cylindrical shape from head 204 to body 206, and integrally covers body 206 and head 204. With exterior 201 of such a shape, robot 20 is formed in a prone shape.

[0014] The outer surface of exterior 201 is made of artificial pile fabric that imitates the fur of a small animal in order to simulate the feel of the skin of a small animal. The lining of exterior 201 is made of synthetic fiber, natural fiber, natural leather, artificial leather, a synthetic resin sheet material, a rubber sheet material, or the like. Since exterior 201 is made of such a flexible material, it follows the movement of housing 207. Specifically, exterior 201 follows the rotation of head 204 relative to body 206.

[0015] In order for exterior 201 to follow the movement of housing 207, exterior 201 is attached to housing 207 with snap buttons (not shown). Specifically, at least one snap button is provided in the front of head 204, and at least one snap button is provided in the rear of body 206. Snap buttons that fit with the snap buttons provided on head 204 and body 206 are also provided in corresponding positions on exterior 201, and exterior 201 is fastened to housing 207 by the snap buttons and attached. Note that the number and positions of the snap buttons are merely examples and can be changed as desired.

[0016] The body 206 extends in the front-rear direction, and comes into contact with a support surface, such as a floor or a table, on which the robot 20 is placed, via the exterior 201. The body 206 is provided with a twist motor 221 at its front end. The head 204 is connected to the front end of the body 206 via a connecting part 205. The connecting part 205 is provided with a vertical motor 222. Note that, although the twist motor 221 is provided in the body 206 in FIG. 2, it may be provided in the connecting part 205. The twist motor 221 and the vertical motor 222 connect the head 204 to the body 206 so as to be rotatable about axes in the left-right and front-rear directions of the robot 20.

[0017] As the XYZ coordinate axes, the X-axis and Y-axis are set in a horizontal plane, and the Z-axis is set in the vertical direction. The positive direction of the Z-axis corresponds to the vertical upward direction. For ease of explanation, the following description will be given assuming that the robot 20 is placed on the placement surface with the left-right direction (width direction) of the robot 20 being the X-axis direction, and the front-rear direction of the robot 20 being the Y-axis direction.

[0018] The connecting part 205 connects the body part 206 and the head 204 to be rotatable about a first rotation axis that passes through the connecting part 205 and extends in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) of the body part 206. The twist motor 221 rotates (forward rotation) the head 204 clockwise (right-handed) around the first rotation axis within a forward rotation angle range, and rotates (reverse rotation) the head 204 counterclockwise (left-handed) within a reverse rotation angle range, relative to the body part 206, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 .

[0019] In this description, clockwise refers to the clockwise direction when looking from the body 206 toward the head 204. Clockwise rotation is also called "right-handed twist rotation" and counterclockwise rotation is also called "left-handed twist rotation". The maximum angle of right-handed or left-handed twist rotation is arbitrary. In Figs. 4 and 5, the angle of the head 204 when the head 204 is not twisted to the right or left (hereinafter "twist reference angle") is represented by 0. The angle when the head 204 is twisted to the left most (counterclockwise rotation) is represented by -100, and the angle when the head is twisted to the right most (clockwise rotation) is represented by +100.

[0020] Furthermore, the connecting part 205 connects the body part 206 and the head part 204 to be rotatable about a second rotation axis that passes through the connecting part 205 and extends in the left-right direction (width direction, X-axis direction) of the body part 206. The up-down motor 222 rotates the head part 204 upward within a forward rotation angle range (forward rotation) and rotates the head part 204 downward within a reverse rotation angle range (reverse rotation) about the second rotation axis, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 .

[0021] The maximum angle of upward or downward rotation is arbitrary, but in Figures 6 and 7, the angle of head 204 when head 204 is not rotated upward or downward (hereinafter referred to as the "vertical reference angle") is represented as 0, the angle when head 204 is rotated most downward is represented as -100, and the angle when head 204 is rotated most upward is represented as +100.

[0022] 2 and 3, the robot 20 is provided with touch sensors 211 on the head 204 and the body 206. The touch sensors 211 enable the robot 20 to detect that the user has stroked or hit the head 204 or the body 206.

[0023] The robot 20 includes an acceleration sensor 212, a microphone 213, a gyro sensor 214, an illuminance sensor 215, and a speaker 231 on the body 206. The robot 20 can detect a change in the posture of the robot 20 itself by the acceleration sensor 212 and the gyro sensor 214, and can also detect that the robot 20 has been lifted up, turned around, or thrown by a user. The robot 20 can detect the illuminance around the robot 20 by the illuminance sensor 215. The robot 20 can detect external sounds by the microphone 213. The robot 20 can emit sounds by the speaker 231.

[0024] At least a portion of the acceleration sensor 212, microphone 213, gyro sensor 214, illuminance sensor 215 and speaker 231 may be provided in the head 204, not limited to the torso 206, or in both the torso 206 and the head 204.

[0025] Next, the functional configuration of the robot 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 8, the robot 20 includes a control device 100, a sensor unit 210, a driving unit 220, an output unit 230, and an operation unit 240. These units are connected to each other via a bus line BL, for example. Note that instead of the bus line BL, a wired interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or a wireless interface such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used.

[0026] The control device 100 is a device that controls the robot 20. The control device 100 includes a control unit 110 which is an example of a control means, a storage unit 120 which is an example of a storage means, and a communication unit 130 which is an example of a communication means.

[0027] The control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The CPU is, for example, a microprocessor, and is a central processing unit that executes various processes and calculations. In the control unit 110, the CPU reads out a control program stored in a ROM, and controls the operation of the entire robot 20, which is the control unit, while using a RAM as a work memory. Although not shown, the control unit 110 also includes a clock function, a timer function, and the like, and can measure the date and time. The control unit 110 may also be called a "processor."

[0028] The storage unit 120 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 120 stores programs and data, including an OS (Operating System) and application programs, that are used by the control unit 110 to perform various processes. The storage unit 120 also stores data that is generated or acquired by the control unit 110 performing various processes.

[0029] The communication unit 130 includes a communication interface for communicating with devices external to the robot 20. For example, the communication unit 130 communicates with external devices including the terminal device 50 in accordance with well-known communication standards such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark)), and NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0030] The sensor unit 210 includes the above-mentioned touch sensor 211, acceleration sensor 212, gyro sensor 214, illuminance sensor 215, and microphone 213. The sensor unit 210 is an example of a detection unit that detects an external stimulus.

[0031] The touch sensor 211 includes, for example, a pressure sensor or a capacitance sensor, and detects that some object has come into contact with the touch sensor 211. Based on the detection value of the touch sensor 211, the control unit 110 can detect that the robot 20 is being stroked or hit by the user.

[0032] The acceleration sensor 212 detects acceleration applied to the body 206 of the robot 20. The acceleration sensor 212 detects acceleration in each of the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, that is, acceleration in three axes.

[0033] For example, the acceleration sensor 212 detects gravitational acceleration when the robot 20 is stationary. The control unit 110 can detect the current posture of the robot 20 based on the gravitational acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 212. In other words, the control unit 110 can detect whether the housing 207 of the robot 20 is tilted from the horizontal direction based on the gravitational acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 212. In this way, the acceleration sensor 212 functions as a tilt detection means that detects the tilt of the robot 20.

[0034] Furthermore, when the user lifts or throws the robot 20, the acceleration sensor 212 detects the acceleration caused by the movement of the robot 20 in addition to the gravitational acceleration. Therefore, the control unit 110 can detect the movement of the robot 20 by removing the gravitational acceleration component from the detection value detected by the acceleration sensor 212.

[0035] The gyro sensor 214 detects the angular velocity when rotation is applied to the body 206 of the robot 20. Specifically, the gyro sensor 214 detects the angular velocity of three-axis rotation, namely, rotation about the X-axis direction, rotation about the Y-axis direction, and rotation about the Z-axis direction. By combining the detection values ​​detected by the acceleration sensor 212 and the detection values ​​detected by the gyro sensor 214, the movement of the robot 20 can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0036] The touch sensor 211, the acceleration sensor 212, and the gyro sensor 214 detect the strength of contact, the acceleration, and the angular velocity, respectively, at synchronized timing (for example, every 0.25 seconds), and output the detection values ​​to the control unit 110.

[0037] The microphone 213 detects sounds around the robot 20. Based on the sound components detected by the microphone 213, the control unit 110 can detect, for example, whether the user is calling out to the robot 20 or clapping his hands.

[0038] The illuminance sensor 215 detects the illuminance around the robot 20. Based on the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 215, the control unit 110 can detect whether the surroundings of the robot 20 have become brighter or darker.

[0039] The control unit 110 acquires, as external stimuli, detection values ​​detected by various sensors included in the sensor unit 210 via the bus line BL. The external stimuli are stimuli that act on the robot 20 from outside the robot 20. Examples of external stimuli include "a loud noise was heard," "someone spoke to," "someone stroked," "someone lifted up," "someone turned upside down," "it became brighter," "it became darker," and the like.

[0040] For example, the control unit 110 obtains an external stimulus caused by "a loud noise being made" or "being spoken to" through the microphone 213, and obtains an external stimulus caused by "being stroked" through the touch sensor 211. In addition, the control unit 110 obtains an external stimulus caused by "being lifted" or "being turned upside down" through the acceleration sensor 212 and gyro sensor 214, and obtains an external stimulus caused by "it becoming brighter" or "it becoming darker" through the illuminance sensor 215.

[0041] The sensor unit 210 may include sensors other than the touch sensor 211, the acceleration sensor 212, the gyro sensor 214, and the microphone 213. By increasing the types of sensors included in the sensor unit 210, it is possible to increase the types of external stimuli that the control unit 110 can acquire.

[0042] The driving unit 220 includes a twist motor 221 and an up-down motor 222, and is driven by the control unit 110. The twist motor 221 is a servo motor for rotating the head 204 in the left-right direction (width direction) with respect to the torso unit 206, with the front-rear direction as an axis. The up-down motor 222 is a servo motor for rotating the head 204 in the up-down direction (height direction) with respect to the torso unit 206, with the left-right direction as an axis. The robot 20 can express the motion of twisting the head 204 sideways by the twist motor 221, and can express the motion of raising and lowering the head 204 by the up-down motor 222.

[0043] The output unit 230 includes a speaker 231, and when the control unit 110 inputs sound data to the output unit 230, sound is output from the speaker 231. For example, when the control unit 110 inputs data on the cry of the robot 20 to the output unit 230, the robot 20 emits a simulated cry.

[0044] Incidentally, instead of or in addition to the speaker 231, the output unit 230 may be provided with a display such as a liquid crystal display or a light-emitting unit such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and emotions such as joy and sadness may be displayed on the display or expressed by the color and brightness of the emitted light.

[0045] The operation unit 240 includes operation buttons, a volume knob, etc. The operation unit 240 is an interface for accepting user operations such as turning the power on and off, adjusting the volume of the output sound, etc.

[0046] The battery 250 is a rechargeable secondary battery that stores power used in the robot 20. The battery 250 is charged when the robot 20 moves to a charging station.

[0047] The position information acquisition unit 260 includes a position information sensor such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) and acquires current position information of the robot 20. Note that the position information acquisition unit 260 may acquire the position information of the robot 20 by a general method using wireless communication, not limited to GPS, or may acquire the position information of the robot 20 through application software of the terminal device 50.

[0048] The control unit 110 functionally comprises a state parameter acquisition unit 112 which is an example of a state parameter acquisition means, and a gesture control unit 113 which is an example of a gesture control means. In the control unit 110, the CPU reads out a program stored in the ROM into the RAM, and executes and controls the program, thereby functioning as each of these units. The storage unit 120 also stores gesture information 121, state parameters 122, and a coefficient table .

[0049] Next, the configuration of the terminal device 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The terminal device 50 is an operation terminal operated by a user. The terminal device 50 is, for example, a general-purpose information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal. As shown in Fig. 9, the terminal device 50 includes a control unit 510, a storage unit 520, an operation unit 530, a display unit 540, a communication unit 550, and an image capturing unit 560.

[0050] The control unit 510 includes a CPU. In the control unit 110, the CPU reads out a control program stored in a ROM and controls the overall operation of the terminal device 50 while using a RAM as a work memory. The control unit 510 may be called a "processor."

[0051] The storage unit 520 includes a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 520 stores programs and data used by the control unit 510 to perform various processes. The storage unit 520 also stores data generated or acquired by the control unit 510 performing various processes.

[0052] The operation unit 530 includes an input device such as a touch panel, a touch pad, and physical buttons, and receives operation input from the user.

[0053] Display unit 540 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays various images under the control of control unit 510. Display unit 540 is an example of a display means.

[0054] The communication unit 550 includes a communication interface for communicating with devices external to the terminal device 50. For example, the communication unit 550 communicates with external devices including the robot 20 in accordance with well-known communication standards such as wireless LAN, BLE (registered trademark), and NFC.

[0055] The photographing unit 560 is a so-called camera, and photographs a subject including the robot 20 to obtain a photographed image of the subject. Specifically, the photographing unit 560 includes a lens that collects light emitted from the subject, an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) that receives the collected light and obtains an image of the subject, and an A / D (Analog / Digital) converter that converts data indicating the image sent from the imaging element as an electrical signal into digital data. The photographed image photographed by the photographing unit 560 may be a still image or a moving image. The photographing unit 560 is an example of a photographing means.

[0056] The control unit 510 functionally includes an image capture control unit 513, which is an example of an image capture control means, and a gesture selection unit 514, which is an example of a gesture selection means. In the control unit 510, the CPU reads a program stored in the ROM into the RAM, and executes and controls the program, thereby functioning as each of these units. The storage unit 520 also stores gesture information 121.

[0057] Returning to Fig. 8, in the control device 100 of the robot 20, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 acquires state parameters 122. The state parameters 122 are parameters for expressing the state of the robot 20. Specifically, the state parameters 122 include (1) emotion parameters, (2) personality parameters, (3) remaining battery power, (4) current location, (5) current time, and (6) number of days of growth (number of days of training).

[0058] (1) Emotion parameters The emotion parameters are parameters that represent simulated emotions of the robot 20. The emotion parameters are represented by coordinates (X, Y) on the emotion map 300.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 10, the emotion map 300 is expressed in a two-dimensional coordinate system with the X-axis representing the degree of relief (degree of anxiety) and the Y-axis representing the degree of excitement (degree of lethargy). The origin (0,0) on the emotion map represents normal emotions. The larger the absolute value of the X-coordinate (X value), the more positive the value, the higher the emotion of relief, and the larger the absolute value of the negative value, the higher the emotion of anxiety. The larger the absolute value of the Y-coordinate (Y value), the more positive the value, the higher the emotion of excitement, and the larger the absolute value of the negative value, the higher the emotion of lethargy.

[0060] The emotion parameters represent a plurality of different pseudo emotions (four in this embodiment). In FIG. 10, among the values ​​representing the pseudo emotions, the relief level and anxiety level are collectively represented on one axis (X-axis), and the excitement level and lethargy level are collectively represented on another axis (Y-axis). Therefore, the emotion parameters have two values, an X value (relief level, anxiety level) and a Y value (excitement level, lethargy level), and a point on the emotion map 300 represented by the X value and the Y value represents the pseudo emotion of the robot 20. The initial value of the emotion parameter is (0,0). In addition, in FIG. 10, the emotion map 300 is represented in a two-dimensional coordinate system, but the emotion map 300 may have any number of dimensions, for example, one dimension or three dimensions.

[0061] State parameter acquisition section 112 calculates an emotion change amount, which is an amount of change that increases or decreases the X and Y values ​​of emotion parameters. The emotion change amount is expressed by the following four variables. DXP: Ease of feeling at ease (the tendency for the X value on the emotion map to change in a positive direction) DXM: Tendency to become anxious (the tendency for the X value on the emotion map to change in the negative direction) DYP: Excitability (the tendency for the Y value on the emotion map to change in the positive direction) DYM: Tendency to become apathetic (the tendency for the Y value on the emotion map to change in the negative direction)

[0062] The state parameter acquisition unit 112 updates the emotion parameter by adding or subtracting a value corresponding to the external stimulus from among the emotion change amounts DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM to the current emotion parameter. For example, when the head 204 is stroked, the simulated emotion of the robot 20 is one of relief, so the state parameter acquisition unit 112 adds DXP to the X value of the emotion parameter. Conversely, when the head 204 is hit, the simulated emotion of the robot 20 is one of anxiety, so the state parameter acquisition unit 112 subtracts DXM from the X value of the emotion parameter. It is possible to arbitrarily set what emotion change amounts correspond to various external stimuli. An example is shown below. Head 204 is stroked (feels safe): X=X+DXP Hit on the head 204 (feels anxious): X=X-DXM (These external stimuli can be detected by the touch sensor 211 on the head 204.) The torso 206 is stroked (excited): Y=Y+DYP Hitting the torso 206 (becoming lethargic): Y=Y-DYM (These external stimuli can be detected by the touch sensor 211 on the torso 206.) Being held with head up (happy): X=X+DXP and Y=Y+DYP Hanging head down (sad): X=X-DXM and Y=Y-DYM (These external stimuli can be detected by the touch sensor 211 and the acceleration sensor 212.) A gentle voice calls out to you (becomes peaceful): X=X+DXP and Y=Y-DYM Being yelled at loudly (irritated): X=X-DXM and Y=Y+DYP (These external stimuli can be detected by microphone 213.)

[0063] The sensor unit 210 acquires a plurality of different types of external stimuli using a plurality of sensors. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 derives various amounts of emotion change in response to each of the plurality of external stimuli, and sets emotion parameters in response to the derived amounts of emotion change.

[0064] The initial value of each of the emotion change amounts DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM is 10, and each value increases up to a maximum of 20. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 updates each variable of the emotion change amounts DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM in response to an external stimulus detected by the sensor unit 210. Specifically, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 adds 1 to DXP if the X value of the emotion parameter is set to the maximum value of the emotion map 300 at least once in a day, and adds 1 to DYP if the Y value of the emotion parameter is set to the maximum value of the emotion map 300 at least once in a day. Also, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 adds 1 to DXM if the X value of the emotion parameter is set to the minimum value of the emotion map 300 at least once in a day, and adds 1 to DYM if the Y value of the emotion parameter is set to the minimum value of the emotion map 300 at least once in a day.

[0065] In this way, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 changes the emotion change amount according to a condition based on whether the emotion parameter value has reached the maximum or minimum value of the emotion map 300. This update process changes the emotion change amount, i.e., the degree of emotion change. For example, when only the head 204 is stroked many times, only the emotion change amount DXP increases, and the other emotion change amounts do not change, so that the robot 20 has a personality that is easy to feel at ease. Also, when only the head 204 is hit many times, only the emotion change amount DXM increases, and the other emotion change amounts do not change, so that the robot 20 has a personality that is easy to feel anxious. In this way, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 changes the emotion change amount in response to various external stimuli.

[0066] (2) Personality parameters The personality parameters are parameters that represent the simulated personality of the robot 20. The personality parameters include a plurality of personality values ​​each representing a different degree of personality. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 changes the plurality of personality values ​​included in the personality parameters in response to an external stimulus detected by the sensor unit 210.

[0067] Specifically, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 calculates the four personality values ​​according to the following (Equation 1). That is, the personality value (cheerful) is calculated by subtracting 10 from DXP, which indicates the tendency to feel at ease, the personality value (shy) is calculated by subtracting 10 from DXM, which indicates the tendency to become anxious, the personality value (active) is calculated by subtracting 10 from DYP, which indicates the tendency to become excited, and the personality value (spoiled) is calculated by subtracting 10 from DYM, which indicates the tendency to become lethargic. Personality score (cheerful) = DXP-10 Personality score (shy) = DXM-10 Personality score (active) = DYP-10 Personality score (spoiled) = DYM-10 …(Formula 1)

[0068] 11, a personality value radar chart 400 can be generated by plotting the personality value (cheerful) on the first axis, the personality value (active) on the second axis, the personality value (shy) on the third axis, and the personality value (spoiled) on the fourth axis. Since the initial value of each variable of the amount of emotion change is 10 and increases up to a maximum of 20, the range of the personality value is 0 to 10.

[0069] Since the initial value of each personality value is 0, the personality of the robot 20 at the time of its birth is represented by the origin of the personality value radar chart 400. Then, as the robot 20 grows, the four personality values ​​change up to an upper limit of 10 depending on external stimuli (how the user interacts with the robot 20) detected by the sensor unit 210. This allows for the expression of 11 to the fourth power = 14641 different personalities. In this way, the robot 20 has various personalities depending on how the user interacts with the robot 20. In other words, the personality of the robot 20 is formed differently for each individual robot depending on how the user interacts with it.

[0070] These four personality values ​​are fixed when the child period has passed and the simulated growth of the robot 20 is completed. In order to correct the personality in the subsequent adult period according to the user's attitude toward the robot 20, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 adjusts the four personality correction values ​​(cheerful correction value, active correction value, shy correction value, and spoiled correction value).

[0071] State parameter acquisition section 112 adjusts the four personality correction values ​​in accordance with conditions based on which area on emotion map 300 the emotion parameter has existed for the longest time. Specifically, the four personality correction values ​​are adjusted as follows (A) to (E). (A) If the longest presence area is a safe area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to the cheerful correction value and subtracts 1 from the shy correction value. (B) If the longest existence area is an excited area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to the active correction value and subtracts 1 from the spoiled correction value. (C) If the longest existing area is an anxious area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to the shy correction value and subtracts 1 from the cheerful correction value. (D) If the longest existence area is a lethargic area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to the spoiled correction value and subtracts 1 from the active correction value. (E) If the longest presence area is the central area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 decreases the absolute values ​​of all of the four personality correction values ​​by one.

[0072] When the four personality correction values ​​are set, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 calculates the four personality values ​​according to the following (Equation 2). Personality value (cheerful) = DXP-10 + cheerfulness correction value Personality score (shy) = DXM-10 + shyness correction value Personality score (active) = DYP-10 + activeness correction value Personality score (spoiled) = DYM-10 + spoiled correction value …(Formula 2)

[0073] (3) Battery level The remaining battery level is the remaining amount of power stored in the battery 250, and is a parameter that indicates the pseudo hunger level of the robot 20. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 acquires information on the current remaining battery level from a power supply control unit that controls charging and discharging of the battery 250.

[0074] (4) Current location The current location is the location where the robot 20 is currently located. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 acquires information on the current location of the robot 20 by the position information acquisition unit 260.

[0075] More specifically, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 refers to past position information of the robot 20.

[0076] When the current location matches the location most frequently recorded, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 determines that the current location is the home. When the current location is not the home, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 determines whether the current location is a new location, a familiar location, or a less familiar location based on the number of times the location has been recorded in the past, and acquires the determination information. For example, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 determines that the current location is a familiar location if the number of times the location has been recorded in the past is five or more, and determines that the current location is a less familiar location if the number of times the location has been recorded in the past is less than five.

[0077] (5)Current time The current time is the current time. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 acquires the current time from a clock mounted on the robot 20. Note that, like the acquisition of position information, the acquisition of the current time is not limited to this method. More specifically, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 refers to the log of the ON / OFF status of the simulated sleep of the robot 20 to determine whether the current time is immediately after the wake-up time for this day, immediately before bedtime, or during a nap time.

[0078] (6) Number of days to grow (number of days to grow) The number of days of growth indicates the number of days of the pseudo growth of the robot 20. The robot 20 is pseudo-born when the user starts it for the first time after being shipped from the factory, and grows from a child to an adult over a predetermined growth period. The number of days of growth corresponds to the number of days from the pseudo birth of the robot 20.

[0079] The initial value of the number of days of growth is 1, and the state parameter acquisition unit 112 adds 1 to the number of days of growth every time a day passes. The growth period during which the robot 20 grows from a child to an adult is, for example, 50 days, and the period of 50 days of pseudo-growth from birth is referred to as the "child period (first period)". When the child period has elapsed, the pseudo-growth of the robot 20 is completed. The period after the child period is completed is referred to as the "adult period (second period)".

[0080] During the child period, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 increases both the maximum and minimum values ​​of the emotion map 300 by 2 each time the number of days of simulated growth of the robot 20 increases by one day. The initial size of the emotion map 300 is a maximum of 100 and a minimum of -100 for both the X and Y values, as shown in a frame 301. When the number of days of growth reaches half the child period (for example, 25 days), the maximum of both the X and Y values ​​becomes 150 and the minimum of -150, as shown in a frame 302. When the child period has elapsed, the simulated growth of the robot 20 stops. At this time, the maximum of both the X and Y values ​​becomes 200 and the minimum of -200, as shown in a frame 303. After that, the size of the emotion map 300 is fixed.

[0081] The settable range of emotion parameters is determined by emotion map 300. Therefore, as the size of emotion map 300 increases, the settable range of emotion parameters increases. By increasing the settable range of emotion parameters, richer emotional expression becomes possible, and thus the simulated growth of robot 20 is expressed by increasing the size of emotion map 300.

[0082] Returning to FIG. 8, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 20 to perform various gestures according to the situation, based on the gesture information 121. The gesture information 121 is information that determines the gestures to be performed by the robot 20. Here, the gestures are the behavior, action, etc. of the robot 20. Specifically, the gestures are, as shown in FIG. 12, "head down", "peep", "head shake", "surprise", "happiness", "sadness", etc. In addition to the gestures shown in FIG. 12, various other gestures can be mentioned, such as "laughing", "anger", "sneezing", "breathing", etc. Each gesture is composed of a combination of multiple elements, which are movements or voice outputs.

[0083] The movement means a physical movement (motion) of the robot 20 executed by the driving unit 220. Specifically, the movement corresponds to moving the head 204 relative to the body 206 by the twist motor 221 or the up-down motor 222. The sound output means outputting various sounds such as cries from the speaker 231 of the output unit 230.

[0084] 12, the gesture information 121 defines gesture control parameters for each of a plurality of gestures that the robot 20 can perform. The gesture control parameters are parameters for causing the robot 20 to perform each gesture. The gesture control parameters define, for each element constituting a gesture, a movement parameter or a cry parameter, and a time (in milliseconds) for performing the element. The movement parameters define the movement angle of the twist motor 221 and the movement angle of the up-down motor 222. The cry parameters define the sound and volume.

[0085] As an example, when the robot 20 is made to perform the gesture of "bowing its head", the gesture control unit 113 first controls the twist motor 221 and the up-down motor 222 so that their angles become 0 after 100 milliseconds, and controls the up-down motor 222 so that its angle becomes -45 after 100 milliseconds. When the robot 20 is made to perform the gesture of "peep", the gesture control unit 113 outputs a "peep" sound at a volume of 60 dB from the speaker 231 for 300 milliseconds. When the robot 20 is made to perform the gesture of "shaking its head", the gesture control unit 113 first controls the twist motor 221 and the up-down motor 222 so that their angles become 0 after 100 milliseconds, and controls the drive unit 220 so that the angle of the twist motor 221 becomes 34 after 100 milliseconds, and controls the drive unit 220 so that the angle of the twist motor 221 becomes -34 after another 100 milliseconds.

[0086] 12 defines gestures such as "surprised," "happy," and "sad" as more complicated gestures. When making the robot 20 execute the gesture of "surprised," the gesture control unit 113 first controls the twist motor 221 and the up-down motor 222 so that their angles become 0 after 100 milliseconds, and controls the up-down motor 222 so that its angle becomes -24 after 100 milliseconds. The gesture control unit 113 then does not rotate for 700 milliseconds, and controls the twist motor 221 so that its angle becomes 34 and the up-down motor 222 so that its angle becomes -24 after 500 milliseconds. The gesture control unit 113 then controls the twist motor 221 so that its angle becomes -34 after 400 milliseconds, and controls the twist motor 221 and the up-down motor 222 so that their angles become 0 after 500 milliseconds. Furthermore, in parallel with driving the twist motor 221 and the up / down motor 222, the gesture control unit 113 outputs a sound "kyaa" at a volume of 70 dB from the speaker 231. Note that gesture control parameters for gestures such as "happy" and "sad" are omitted in Fig. 12, but like "surprise", these are determined by a combination of the movement (motion) of the twist motor 221 or the up / down motor 222 and the sound output (cry) from the speaker 231.

[0087] The gesture information 121 defines gestures to be performed by the robot 20 by a combination of such actions (motions) or voice outputs (cries). The gesture information 121 may be pre-installed in the robot 20. Alternatively, the gesture information 121 may be freely created by a user operating the terminal device 50.

[0088] Each gesture defined in the gesture information 121 is associated in advance with a trigger, which is a condition for the robot 20 to execute the gesture. The trigger can be various conditions, specifically, "being called out to," "being stroked," "being lifted up," "being turned upside down," "it has become bright," "it has become dark," and the like. These triggers are triggers based on external stimuli and are detected by the sensor unit 210. For example, "being called out to" is detected by the microphone 213. "being stroked" is detected by the touch sensor 211. "being lifted up" and "being turned upside down" are detected by the acceleration sensor 212 or the gyro sensor 214. "it has become bright" and "it has become dark" are detected by the illuminance sensor 215. Note that the trigger may be one that is not based on an external stimulus, such as "a specific time has arrived," "the robot 20 has moved to a specific place," and the like.

[0089] The gesture control unit 113 judges whether or not any of the triggers of the multiple gestures defined in the gesture information 121 has been established based on the detection result by the sensor unit 210, etc. If any of the triggers has been established as a result of the judgment, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 20 to execute the gesture corresponding to the established trigger.

[0090] More specifically, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameters identified from the gesture information 121 based on the state parameters 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112. This makes it possible to change the gestures according to the current state of the robot 20, thereby enabling the robot 20 to realistically imitate a living creature.

[0091] In order to correct the gesture control parameters, the gesture control unit 113 refers to the coefficient table 124. As shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14, the coefficient table 124 defines a correction coefficient for each of the state parameters 122, that is, (1) emotion parameters, (2) personality parameters, (3) remaining battery level, (4) current location, and (5) current time. Although not shown, the coefficient table 124 may also define a correction coefficient for (6) number of days of growth.

[0092] The correction coefficient is a coefficient for correcting the gesture control parameter identified from the gesture information 121. Specifically, the correction coefficient is determined by the action direction and weighting coefficient for each of the speed and amplitude of the up-down movement by the up-down motor 222, the speed and amplitude of the left-right movement by the twist motor 221, and the movement start time lag.

[0093] More specifically, the gesture control unit 113 determines which of the following (1) to (5) corresponds to the current state of the robot 20 indicated by the state parameters 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112. Then, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameters by using a correction coefficient corresponding to the current state of the robot 20. (1) Which of the following emotional parameters of the robot 20 corresponds to: happiness, frustration, sadness, lethargy, or normal. In other words, whether the coordinates (X, Y) representing the emotional parameters are located in the area marked "happiness", "irritation", "sadness", "lethargy", or "normal" on the emotional map 300 shown in FIG. 10. (2) Which of the following personality parameters does the robot 20 currently have: cheerful, lively, shy, or clingy? In other words, which of the four personality values, cheerful, lively, shy, or clingy, is the largest? (3) Whether the current battery remaining capacity of the robot 20 is 70% or more, between 70% and 30%, or 30% or less. (4) Whether the current location of the robot 20 is at home, a familiar location, an unfamiliar location, or a new location. (5) Whether the current time is just after waking up, during a nap, or just before going to bed.

[0094] 14, when the current time corresponds to the time immediately after waking up, the acting direction for both the speed and amplitude of the up-down movement and the left-right movement is set to "-" and the weighting coefficient is set to "0.2." Therefore, the gesture control unit 113 lengthens the movement time by 20% and shortens the movement distance by 20% based on the value acquired from the gesture information 121. In other words, the gesture control unit 113 makes the movement of the robot 20 20% slower and 20% smaller than usual.

[0095] 14, the direction of action of the action start time lag is set to "+" and the weighting coefficient is set to "0.2". Therefore, the gesture control unit 113 delays the execution start timing by 20% from the normal timing based on the value set in the gesture information 121. By performing correction using such a correction coefficient, it is possible to express that the gesture is executed slightly slower than the normal motion when the user is in a sleepy state immediately after waking up.

[0096] The gesture control unit 113 specifies the correction coefficients for the corresponding states of (1) emotion parameters, (2) personality parameters, (3) remaining battery level, and (4) current location in addition to (5) the current time from the coefficient table 124. Then, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameters using the sum of the corresponding correction coefficients for (1) to (5).

[0097] As a specific example, a case will be described where (1) the current emotion parameter corresponds to joy, (2) the current personality parameter corresponds to cheerfulness, (3) the current battery level corresponds to 30% or less, (4) the current location corresponds to a new location, and (5) the current time corresponds to immediately after waking up.

[0098] In this case, referring to the coefficient table 124 shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14, the sum of the correction coefficients for the speed and amplitude of the up-down movement is calculated as "+0.2+0.1-0.3-0.2-0.2=-0.4", and the sum of the correction coefficients for the speed and amplitude of the left-right movement is calculated as "+0.2+0-0.3-0.2-0.2=-0.5". Therefore, the gesture control unit 113 lengthens the movement time of the up-down motor 222 by 40% and shortens the movement distance by 40% based on the value set in the gesture information 121. Furthermore, the gesture control unit 113 lengthens the movement time of the twist motor 221 by 50% and shortens the movement distance by 50% based on the value acquired from the gesture information 121.

[0099] The sum of the correction coefficients for the action start time lag is calculated as +0+0+0.3+0.2+0.2=+0.7. Therefore, the gesture control unit 113 delays the execution start timing by 70% from the normal timing, using the value acquired from the gesture information 121 as a reference.

[0100] Although not shown, the coefficient table 124 also defines correction coefficients for cries in the same manner as for actions. To be more specific, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the volume, which is a cries parameter set for a gesture corresponding to the established trigger in the gesture information 121, by using a correction coefficient corresponding to the state parameter 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112.

[0101] In this way, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameter based on the state parameter 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112. Then, the gesture control unit 113 drives the driving unit 220 based on the corrected gesture control parameter, or outputs a sound from the speaker 231, thereby making the robot 20 execute a gesture corresponding to the established trigger. By correcting the gesture control parameter based on the state parameter 122, even when the robot 20 executes the same gesture, the gesture executed varies depending on the current state (emotion, personality, remaining battery level, current location, current time, etc.) of the robot 20. For example, even when the robot 20 executes the same "happy" gesture, the gesture executed varies depending on whether the pseudo-emotion corresponds to "happy" or "irritated." This prevents the gestures from becoming uniform, and allows individuality to be expressed.

[0102] Next, the flow of the robot control process will be described with reference to Fig. 15. The robot control process shown in Fig. 15 is executed by the control unit 110 of the control device 100 when the user turns on the power of the robot 20. The robot control process is an example of a method for controlling an electronic device.

[0103] When the robot control process is started, the control unit 110 sets the state parameters 122 (step S101). When the robot 20 is started for the first time (when the robot is started for the first time by the user after being shipped from the factory), the control unit 110 sets each of the emotion parameters, personality parameters, and number of days to growth to an initial value (for example, 0). On the other hand, when the robot is started for the second time or later, the control unit 110 reads out the values ​​of each parameter saved in step S106 of the previous robot control process (described later) and sets them as the state parameters 122. However, the emotion parameters may all be initialized to 0 every time the power is turned on.

[0104] After setting the state parameters 122, the control unit 110 acquires the gesture information 121 (step S102). For example, the control unit 110 communicates with the terminal device 50 and acquires the gesture information 121 created on the basis of a user's operation in the terminal device 50. Note that, if the gesture information 121 has already been saved in the storage unit 120, step S102 may be skipped.

[0105] When the control unit 110 acquires the gesture information 121, the control unit 110 determines whether or not any one of the multiple gesture triggers defined in the gesture information 121 has been established (step S103).

[0106] When any of the triggers is established (step S103; YES), the control unit 110 executes a gesture control process and causes the robot 20 to execute a gesture corresponding to the established trigger (step S104). Details of the gesture control process in step S104 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 16. Step S104 is an example of a control step.

[0107] When the gesture control process shown in FIG. 16 is started, control unit 110 updates state parameters 122 (step S201). Specifically, if the trigger established in step S103 is due to an external stimulus, control unit 110 derives an emotion change amount corresponding to the external stimulus. Then, control unit 110 updates the emotion parameter by adding or subtracting the derived emotion change amount to or from the current emotion parameter. Furthermore, during the child period, control unit 110 calculates each personality value of the personality parameter from the emotion change amount updated in step S108 according to the above-mentioned (Equation 1). On the other hand, during the adult period, control unit 110 calculates each personality value of the personality parameter from the emotion change amount updated in step S108 and the personality correction value according to the above-mentioned (Equation 2).

[0108] When the state parameters 122 are updated, the control unit 110 refers to the gesture information 121 to acquire gesture control parameters of the gesture corresponding to the established trigger (step S202). Specifically, the control unit 110 acquires, from the gesture information 121, the movement parameters or cry parameters of the elements constituting the gesture corresponding to the established trigger and the execution time thereof.

[0109] When the gesture control parameters are acquired, the control unit 110 corrects the gesture control parameters based on the correction coefficients defined in the coefficient table 124 (step S203). Specifically, the control unit 110 calculates the sum of the correction coefficients corresponding to the state parameters 122 updated in step S201, among the correction coefficients defined in the coefficient table 124 for (1) emotion parameters, (2) personality parameters, (3) remaining battery level, (4) current location, and (5) current time. Then, the control unit 110 corrects the movement parameters, the cry parameters, and the execution start timing based on the calculated sum of the correction coefficients.

[0110] After correcting the gesture control parameter, the control unit 110 executes a gesture corresponding to the established trigger (step S204). Specifically, the control unit 110 drives the driving unit 220 or outputs a sound from the speaker 231 according to the gesture control parameter corrected in step S203. This ends the gesture control process shown in FIG.

[0111] Returning to FIG. 15, in step S103, if none of the multiple gesture triggers is established (step S103; NO), control unit 110 skips step S104.

[0112] Next, the control unit 110 determines whether or not to end the process (step S105). For example, when the operation unit 240 receives an instruction from the user to turn off the power of the robot 20, the process ends. If the process ends (step S105; YES), the control unit 110 stores the current state parameters 122 in the non-volatile memory of the storage unit 120 (step S106) and ends the robot control process shown in FIG.

[0113] If the process does not end (step S105; NO), the control unit 110 judges whether the date has changed by the clock function (step S107). If the date has not changed (step S107; NO), the process returns to step S103.

[0114] If the date has changed (step S107; YES), the control unit 110 updates the state parameters 122 (step S108). Specifically, if it is during the child period (for example, 50 days after birth), the control unit 110 changes the values ​​of the emotion changes DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM depending on whether the emotion parameters have reached the maximum or minimum values ​​of the emotion map 300. Also, if it is during the child period, the control unit 110 expands both the maximum and minimum values ​​of the emotion map 300 by a predetermined increment (for example, 2). On the other hand, if it is during the adult period, the control unit 110 adjusts the personality correction value.

[0115] After updating the state parameter 122, the control unit 110 adds 1 to the number of days of growth (step S109) and returns to step S103. Then, the control unit 110 repeats the processes from step S103 to step S109 as long as the robot 20 is operating normally.

[0116] <Shooting mode> Next, a shooting mode will be described in which parameters such as personality parameters and growth parameters are set as described above, and the robot 20 performs various actions according to the parameters, and a video is shot by the shooting unit 560 of the terminal device 50. In the shooting mode, the terminal device 50 is an example of a shooting device connected to the robot 20, which is the shooting target, so as to be able to communicate with it, and the robot system 1 is an example of a shooting system.

[0117] 9, the photographing control unit 513 controls photographing by the photographing unit 560. Specifically, the photographing control unit 513 controls the photographing unit 560 to cause the robot 20, which is the subject of the photographing, to take a moving image.

[0118] When the user wishes to take a video of the robot 20, as shown in Fig. 17, the user points the imaging unit 560 of the terminal device 50 toward the robot 20 and takes a video of the robot 20 with the imaging unit 560. At this time, when the user operates the operation unit 530 of the terminal device 50 to start application software for video shooting, the imaging control unit 513 starts the imaging mode.

[0119] In the shooting mode, the shooting control unit 513 displays a shooting mode screen shown in Fig. 17 on the display unit 540. The shooting control unit 513 displays a preview image shot by the shooting unit 560 on the shooting mode screen.

[0120] When the photographing mode is started, the photographing control unit 513 transmits a notification indicating that the photographing mode has been started to the control device 100 of the robot 20 via the communication unit 550. More specifically, after starting the photographing mode, when the inclination of the terminal device 50 becomes an inclination suitable for photographing and the presence of the robot 20 is recognized by image recognition in the photographed image obtained by preview photographing, the photographing control unit 513 transmits a notification indicating that the photographing mode has been started to the robot 20. Note that the inclination suitable for photographing is the orientation of the terminal device 50 that is usually likely to be in when photographing, and corresponds to, for example, the orientation of the terminal device 50 in a state in which the photographing direction of the photographing unit 560 is within a predetermined range from the horizontal direction.

[0121] In the control device 100 of the robot 20, the gesture control unit 113, upon receiving a notification from the terminal device 50, causes the robot 20 to perform a pre-photographing gesture. Here, the pre-photographing gesture is a gesture that the robot 20 performs before shooting a moving image. The gesture control unit 113 performs the pre-photographing gesture continuously, intermittently, or at random intervals from when the notification of the start of the shooting mode is received until when the shooting of the moving image starts.

[0122] For example, when the shy personality value of the personality parameters of the robot 20 is the maximum, or when the current location of the robot 20 is a new place, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 20 to execute a gesture expressing embarrassment as a pre-photographing gesture. Alternatively, when the lively personality value is the maximum, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 20 to execute a gesture expressing a pose encouraging photography as a pre-photographing gesture. At this time, the gesture control unit 113 may control the type of pre-photographing gesture, the magnitude of the movement, and the like, to produce a level of embarrassment according to the level of the shy personality value, for example.

[0123] In this way, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 20 to perform various different gestures depending on the state parameters 122, such as emotion parameters, personality parameters, remaining battery level, current location, and current time. The gesture control unit 113 may change the gesture before shooting based on only one parameter of the state parameters 122, or may change the gesture before shooting based on multiple parameters. The gesture control unit 113 may also correct the gesture control parameter for the gesture before shooting based on the coefficient table 124 as described above.

[0124] Returning to FIG. 9, in the terminal device 50, the gesture selection unit 514 selects a gesture to be performed by the robot 20, which is the subject of the image capture, when the moving image is captured. The gesture to be performed by the robot 20 when the moving image is captured can be selected from among a plurality of gestures that the robot 20 can perform by voice input or menu display. The plurality of gestures that the robot 20 can perform are gestures such as "lowering head," "making a squeal," and "shaking head," which are defined in the gesture information 121. The gesture information 121 is stored in the storage unit 120 of the robot 20, but is also shared with the storage unit 520 of the terminal device 50. The gesture selection unit 514 refers to the gesture information 121 stored in the storage unit 520 when selecting a gesture.

[0125] First, when selecting a gesture by voice input, the user selects (tap) a microphone-shaped icon A1 on the shooting mode screen shown in FIG. 17 and speaks the name of a gesture that the user wants the robot 20 to execute. The gesture selection unit 514 detects the voice emitted by the user through a microphone (not shown) provided in the terminal device 50. Then, the gesture selection unit 514 determines by voice recognition whether or not the voice detected by the microphone includes any of the names of a plurality of gestures that the robot 20 can execute. Here, the gesture name is a word for identifying each gesture, such as "lowering head," "making a chirp," "shaking head," "surprised," "happy," "sad," etc. If the detected voice includes any of the names of gestures, the gesture selection unit 514 selects the gesture with that name as a gesture to be executed by the robot 20.

[0126] Secondly, when selecting a gesture from a menu display, the user selects the icon A2 of the "gesture menu" on the shooting mode screen shown in Fig. 17. Then, the names of a plurality of gestures that the robot 20 can execute are displayed, for example, in a pull-down format. The user selects the name of the gesture that the user wants the robot 20 to execute from the displayed plurality of gesture names.

[0127] In this way, the gesture selection unit 514 can select a gesture by voice input or menu display. However, in order to reduce the inhibition of the lifelike feeling of the robot 20, it is preferable to select a gesture by voice input.

[0128] In addition, when the gesture selection unit 514 selects a gesture by voice input, the user is not limited to inputting a voice that completely matches the gesture name of the gesture to be executed by the robot 20. For example, when selecting the gesture of "shaking head", the user may input a voice of "shake your head!". Or, when selecting the gesture of "peep", the user may input a voice of "peep!", and when selecting the gesture of "get happy", the user may input a voice of "happily!", etc. In this way, even when a voice is input in which some words such as the ending are different from the gesture name, the gesture selection unit 514 can identify the gesture corresponding to the input voice as long as the difference is sufficient to identify the gesture.

[0129] Alternatively, the user may input a keyword capable of identifying a gesture to be performed by the robot 20 into the microphone. In this case, the gesture selection unit 514 selects a gesture identified from the keyword detected by the microphone as a gesture to be performed by the robot 20. Here, the keyword is a word related to the gesture, such as a synonym of the gesture name or a word associated with the gesture name. At least one keyword is preliminarily associated with at least some of the multiple gestures defined in the gesture information 121. When the detected voice includes a keyword associated with any of the gestures, the gesture selection unit 514 selects the gesture as a gesture to be performed by the robot 20.

[0130] As an example, the keyword "ghost" is associated with the gesture of "being surprised," and the keyword "2" is associated with the gesture of "crying twice." Then, when a voice saying "A ghost has appeared!" is detected, the gesture selection unit 514 selects the gesture of being surprised as the gesture to be performed by the robot 20. Alternatively, when a voice saying "1+1=?" is detected, the gesture selection unit 514 selects the gesture of crying twice as the gesture to be performed by the robot 20. By recognizing gestures in a selectable manner in this way using keywords, it is possible to give the robot 20 a more lifelike appearance.

[0131] In this way, the gesture selection unit 514 selects at least one gesture to be executed by the robot 20 from among a plurality of gestures that can be executed by the robot 20, by voice input or menu display. For example, the gesture selection unit 514 can simultaneously select three gestures to be executed by the robot 20.

[0132] When at least one gesture is selected by the gesture selection unit 514, the photography control unit 513 causes the robot 20 to execute the at least one selected gesture, and also causes the photography unit 560 to photograph a video of the robot 20. At that time, the photography control unit 513 causes the photography unit 560 to photograph a video of the robot 20 for a time length corresponding to at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514 so that the robot 20 performing the at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514 can be photographed from the start to the end of the gesture. To be more specific, the photography control unit 513 sets a photography time length that is a time length required to photograph a video of at least one selected gesture. The photography control unit 513 refers to the gesture information 121 to set the photography time length. As shown in FIG. 12, the gesture information 121 defines an execution time length for each of a plurality of gestures that the robot 20 can perform. The execution time length of each gesture is the length of time required for the robot 20 to execute that gesture.

[0133] More specifically, the execution time length set for a certain gesture corresponds to the execution time of that element (movement or cry) if the gesture has one component, and corresponds to the sum of the execution times of those elements if the gesture has multiple components (movements or cries). For example, the execution time length of a "head bowing" gesture is 100 + 100 ms (200 ms), the execution time length of a "peep" gesture is 300 ms, and the execution time length of a "head shaking" gesture is 100 + 100 + 100 ms (300 ms).

[0134] The photographing control unit 513 acquires from the gesture information 121 the execution time length set for each of at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514, and sets the photographing time length. For example, when one gesture is selected by the gesture selection unit 514, the photographing time length is set to the execution time length set for that gesture in the gesture information 121, or a time length obtained by adding a certain amount of grace time to that execution time length. On the other hand, when multiple gestures are selected by the gesture selection unit 514, the photographing control unit 513 sets the sum of the execution time lengths set for each of the multiple gestures in the gesture information 121, or a time length obtained by adding a certain amount of grace time to the sum of the execution time lengths, as the photographing time length. By providing a grace time, even when the time for the robot 20 to perform a gesture is extended due to correction of the gesture control parameters by the coefficient table 124, the time for the robot 20 to perform the gesture can be kept within the photographing time length.

[0135] Next, the shooting control unit 513 receives an instruction to start shooting a video from the user. The user selects (tap) a button to start shooting displayed on the shooting mode screen. Alternatively, the user can input a voice command to start shooting, such as "Let's shoot." In this way, the user inputs an instruction to start shooting a video to the terminal device 50. Based on such a user operation, the shooting control unit 513 receives an instruction to start shooting a video.

[0136] When the instruction to start video shooting is accepted, the shooting control unit 513 causes the shooting unit 560 to start shooting a video of the robot 20 as a shooting target. Furthermore, the shooting control unit 513 transmits an execution command to the robot 20, which is the shooting target, in a timing linked to the timing of starting video shooting, for causing the robot 20 to execute the gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514.

[0137] The execution command is a command to make the robot 20 start the gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514 at a timing based on the timing when the image capture unit 560 starts capturing a video. The execution command includes information on the name of at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514. Note that the execution command may include information such as a number, an ID, etc., instead of the name of the gesture, as long as the information can uniquely identify the at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514.

[0138] The timing at which the robot 20 starts the gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514 is adjusted based on the timing at which the image capture unit 560 captures the video so that the robot 20 can capture the gesture from start to finish in a video. Specifically, the image capture control unit 513 adjusts the timing at which the image capture unit 560 starts capturing the video and the timing at which the robot 20 starts the gesture so that the timing at which the robot 20 starts the gesture is the same as or slightly later than the timing at which the image capture unit 560 starts capturing the video. When the image capture control unit 513 causes the image capture unit 560 to start capturing the video, it transmits an execution command to the robot 20 at the same timing or slightly later than the timing at which the image capture unit 560 starts capturing the video.

[0139] In the control device 100 of the robot 20, when the gesture control unit 113 receives an execution command from the terminal device 50, it causes the robot 20 to execute the gesture of the gesture name indicated in the received execution command. In other words, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 20 to start the gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514 at a timing based on the timing when the image capture unit 560 starts capturing a video. When multiple gestures are selected by the gesture selection unit 514, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 20 to execute the multiple gestures in order.

[0140] At this time, the gesture control unit 113 acquires gesture control parameters of the gesture commanded to be executed from the gesture information 121, in the same manner as when any of the triggers is established in modes other than the photographing mode, and corrects the gesture control parameters with the correction coefficients defined in the coefficient table 124 shown in Figs. 13 and 14. At this time, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameters using the correction coefficients corresponding to the state parameters 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112. Details of the correction using the correction coefficients are the same as those in the modes other than the photographing mode described above. Then, the gesture control unit 113 makes the robot 20 execute the gesture commanded to be executed with the corrected gesture control parameters. By correcting the gesture control parameters based on the state parameters 122 in this way, even when the robot 20 executes the same gesture, differences occur in the gestures executed depending on the current state (emotions, personality, remaining battery level, current location, current time, etc.) of the robot 20.

[0141] In this way, the gestures that the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 20 to perform change depending on the current state parameters 122 and growth parameters of the robot 20. Therefore, it is possible to perform gestures that reflect the individuality of the robot and are not uniform.

[0142] In the terminal device 50, the photographing control unit 513 causes the photographing unit 560 to start photographing a moving image, and then causes the photographing unit 560 to end photographing the moving image at a timing corresponding to the timing at which the robot 20 ends the gesture. The timing corresponding to the timing at which the robot 20 ends the gesture is the same as or slightly later than the timing at which the robot 20 ends the gesture being performed, so that the manner in which the robot 20 performs the gesture can be captured in the moving image from start to finish. The photographing control unit 513 causes the photographing unit 560 to end photographing the moving image at a timing corresponding to or slightly later than the timing at which the robot 20 ends the execution of at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514.

[0143] More specifically, the imaging control unit 513 causes the imaging unit 560 to end the video imaging at a timing after the imaging unit 560 starts imaging the video, the timing being a time based on the time length set for at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514. Here, the time based on the time length set for at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514 is the imaging time length set based on the execution time length set in the gesture information 121.

[0144] The photographing control unit 513 measures the elapsed time at the same time as the photographing unit 560 starts photographing the action, and causes the photographing unit 560 to end the video photographing at the timing when the set photographing time length has elapsed. This makes it possible to capture in the video the manner in which the robot 20 performs at least one gesture selected by the gesture selecting unit 514 from start to finish without waste. In other words, it is possible to prevent unnecessary photographing of the state after the robot 20 has finished a gesture or before it has started a gesture (for example, a state in which the robot 20 is not doing anything, etc.).

[0145] When the shooting control unit 513 causes the shooting unit 560 to end the moving image shooting, the shooting control unit 513 stores the obtained moving image in the storage unit 520. The moving image obtained by the moving image shooting can be played back on a moving image playback screen shown in FIG.

[0146] On the upper side of the video playback screen, the photography control unit 513 displays in a calendar format the multiple days on which video of the robot 20 was photographed. When the user operates the operation unit 530 to select one of the multiple days, the photography control unit 513 displays, on the lower side of the video playback screen, thumbnail images P1 to P3 of the video photographed on the selected day.

[0147] Each of the thumbnail images P1 to P3 is an image for identifying a moving image. When the user selects one of the thumbnail images P1 to P3, the shooting control unit 513 plays back the moving image corresponding to the selected thumbnail image.

[0148] The shooting control unit 513 may display information on the gestures performed by the robot 20 in the video corresponding to the thumbnail images P1 to P3, superimposed on each of the thumbnail images P1 to P3, so that the user can more easily understand the contents of the video before playing the video. The information on the gestures is, for example, information such as characters, figures, images, etc. that allows the user to identify the gestures performed by the robot 20 in the video.

[0149] Next, a flow of a video shooting process in which the robot 20 is the subject of shooting will be described with reference to Fig. 19. The video shooting process shown in Fig. 19 starts when a user who wishes to shoot a video of the robot 20 operates the terminal device 50 to start a shooting mode.

[0150] When the video shooting process is started, in the terminal device 50, the control unit 510 communicates with the robot 20 via the communication unit 550 and notifies the robot 20 of the start of the shooting mode (step S301).

[0151] When the control unit 510 notifies the robot 20 of the start of the photography mode, the control unit 510 displays, for example, a photography mode screen shown in FIG. 17 on the display unit 540 (step S302).

[0152] In the control device 100 of the robot 20, when the control unit 110 receives a notification of the start of the photographing mode from the terminal device 50, the control unit 110 causes the robot 20 to perform a gesture before photographing (step S401).

[0153] In the terminal device 50, when the control unit 510 displays the shooting mode screen, it selects a gesture to be executed by the robot 20 (step S303). Specifically, the control unit 510 accepts a selection from the user, by voice input or menu display, of at least one gesture to be executed by the robot 20 during video shooting from among a plurality of gestures that the robot 20 can execute.

[0154] The gesture selection process in the case where speech input is used in step S303 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0155] When the gesture selection process shown in Fig. 20 is started, the control unit 510 detects voice by the microphone (step S501). Next, the control unit 510 determines whether the detected voice includes a voice that matches any of the gesture names of a plurality of gestures that the robot 20 can perform (step S502). If the detected voice includes a voice that matches any of the gesture names (step S502; YES), the control unit 510 selects the gesture with that gesture name (step S503).

[0156] On the other hand, if the detected voice does not include a voice matching any of the gesture names (step S502; NO), then control unit 510 determines whether or not the detected voice includes a keyword associated with any of the gestures (step S504).If the detected voice includes a keyword (step S504; YES), control unit 510 selects a gesture associated with the keyword (step S505).

[0157] If the detected voice does not include a keyword (step S504; NO), the control unit 510 returns the process to step S502 without selecting a gesture. At this time, the control unit 510 may notify the robot 20 that the gesture cannot be recognized from the voice, and cause the robot 20 to perform a gesture that expresses the failure of the recognition. With the above, the gesture selection process by voice input shown in FIG. 20 is completed.

[0158] Returning to FIG. 19, when a gesture is selected in step S303, the control unit 510 refers to the gesture information 121 and sets the length of time for capturing a moving image of the robot 20 performing the selected gesture (step S304).

[0159] When the shooting time length is set, control unit 510 determines whether or not a start instruction for video shooting has been received from the user (step S305). If the start instruction has not been received (step S305; NO), control unit 510 remains in step S305 and waits until the start instruction is received.

[0160] When the control unit 510 receives the start instruction (step S305; YES), the control unit 510 starts video capture by the video capture unit 560 (step S307). Furthermore, the control unit 510 transmits an execution command for the selected gesture to the robot 20 at a timing linked to the start of video capture (step S306).

[0161] In the control device 100 of the robot 20, when the control unit 110 receives the execution command from the terminal device 50, it causes the robot 20 to execute the selected gesture (step S402). In step S402, the control unit 110 executes the gesture control process (steps S201 to S205) shown in FIG. 16, similarly to step S104.

[0162] In terminal device 50, when control unit 510 starts shooting a moving image, it determines whether or not the shooting time length set in step S304 has elapsed since the start of shooting the moving image (step S308). If the shooting time length has not elapsed (step S308; NO), control unit 510 remains in step S308 and continues shooting the moving image until the shooting time length has elapsed.

[0163] If the shooting time has elapsed (step S308; YES), control unit 510 ends moving image shooting (step S309). With the above, the moving image shooting process shown in FIG.

[0164] As described above, the terminal device 50 according to the first embodiment selects a gesture to be performed by the robot 20, causes the robot 20 to perform the selected gesture, and causes the image capturing unit 560 to end video capture at a timing corresponding to the timing at which the robot 20 ends the gesture. This makes it possible to prevent the robot 20 from unnecessarily capturing a state after the robot 20 has finished the gesture, and therefore makes it possible to capture a video of the robot 20 at an appropriate timing.

[0165] In particular, when the robot 20 spontaneously performs a gesture is filmed, the timing of the gesture is arbitrary. Therefore, in the conventional method, in order to film only a desired gesture, it is necessary to film the image including the time before and after the timing when the gesture is predicted to be performed, and then edit the image by selecting only the necessary part. In contrast, the terminal device 50 according to the first embodiment can match the timing when the robot 20 ends the gesture with the timing when video filming ends, so that the robot 20 performing a desired gesture can be easily filmed as a video.

[0166] (Embodiment 2) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2. Descriptions of configurations and functions similar to those of embodiment 1 will be omitted where appropriate.

[0167] In the first embodiment, the function of the gesture selection unit 514 is provided in the terminal device 50, and a gesture to be executed by the robot 20 is selected in the terminal device 50. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the control device 100 of the robot 20 has the function of the gesture selection unit 514. In other words, in the second embodiment, the control unit 110 functionally includes the state parameter acquisition unit 112, the gesture control unit 113, and the gesture selection unit 514, and the control unit 510 functionally includes the photography control unit 513.

[0168] Specifically, a case will be described in which the gesture selection unit 514 selects a gesture to be executed by the robot 20 through voice input. In the control device 100 of the robot 20 according to the second embodiment, the gesture selection unit 514 detects the user's voice through the microphone 213 provided in the robot 20. Then, the gesture selection unit 514 executes the gesture selection process through voice input shown in Fig. 20 for the detected voice, and selects a gesture to be executed by the robot 20.

[0169] When the gesture selection unit 514 selects a gesture, the gesture control unit 113 transmits a notification to the terminal device 50 to start a shooting mode in order to synchronize the timing of making the robot 20 execute the selected gesture with the timing of shooting a video. That is, in the first embodiment, the terminal device 50 notifies the robot 20 of the start of the shooting mode, whereas in the second embodiment, the robot 20 notifies the terminal device 50 of the start of the shooting mode.

[0170] In the terminal device 50, when the shooting control unit 513 receives the notification of the start of the shooting mode, it starts shooting a video by the shooting unit 560. In synchronization with this timing, in the control device 100 of the robot 20, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 20 to perform the gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514.

[0171] In this way, even if the robot 20 is provided with the function of the gesture selection unit 514, the timing of video recording and the timing of the robot 20 performing a gesture can be coordinated, so that video recording of the robot 20 can be performed at the correct timing.

[0172] (Modification) Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is merely an example, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the embodiment of the present invention can be applied in various ways, and all embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

[0173] For example, in the above embodiment, the shooting control unit 513 causes the shooting unit 560 to end the video shooting at a timing after a shooting time length based on a time length set for at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514 from the timing when the shooting unit 560 starts shooting the video. However, the timing of the end of the video shooting is not limited to this.

[0174] For example, in the control device 100 of the robot 20, the gesture control unit 113 transmits a notification indicating the end of the gesture to the terminal device 50 at the timing when the robot 20 finishes the gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514. In the terminal device 50, upon receiving such a notification, the shooting control unit 513 causes the shooting unit 560 to end video shooting. By transmitting a notification of the end of the gesture from the robot 20 in this manner, the shooting control unit 513 can cause the shooting unit 560 to end video shooting at an appropriate timing without having to set the shooting time before starting video shooting.

[0175] Alternatively, the photographing control unit 513 may determine whether the robot 20 has finished the gesture based on a video obtained by photographing the video, and when it is determined that the robot 20 has finished the gesture selected by the gesture selection unit 514, cause the photographing unit 560 to end photographing the video. Specifically, the photographing control unit 513 analyzes a video in which the robot 20 is photographed performing a gesture by image recognition. Then, when the movement of the robot 20 in the video stops, the photographing control unit 513 determines that the robot 20 has finished the gesture. This allows the photographing unit 560 to end photographing the video at an appropriate timing, even without a photographing time setting or a notification from the robot 20.

[0176] Furthermore, the shooting control unit 513 may correct the timing of causing the shooting unit 560 to end the video shooting so as to be linked to the correction of the gesture control parameter in the robot 20. Specifically, in the robot 20, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameter by using a correction coefficient corresponding to the state parameter 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112, among the correction coefficients defined in the coefficient table 124. At that time, the execution time length of the gesture may become longer or shorter due to the correction of the execution start timing. When the execution time length of the gesture executed by the robot 20 changes from the execution time length defined in the gesture information 121 due to such correction of the gesture control parameter, the gesture control unit 113 transmits correction information indicating that to the terminal device 50. The transmitted correction information includes information on the amount of change in the execution time length in addition to the change in the execution time length.

[0177] When the image capture control unit 513 receives the correction information from the robot 20, the image capture control unit 513 corrects the timing to end the video capture based on the received correction information. For example, if the execution time length after the correction is longer than the execution time length defined in the gesture information 121, the image capture control unit 513 delays the timing to end the video capture from the initially set image capture length by the amount of change in the execution time length. Alternatively, if the execution time length after the correction is shorter than the execution time length defined in the gesture information 121, the image capture control unit 513 advances the timing to end the video capture from the initially set image capture length by the amount of change in the execution time length. By correcting the image capture length in this way, even if the execution time length of the gesture changes depending on the state of the robot 20, the video capture of the robot 20 can be performed at an appropriate timing.

[0178] In the above embodiment, one robot 20 is filmed as a moving image, but it is also possible to simultaneously film multiple robots 20 as moving images. In this case, each of the multiple robots 20 can perform the following gestures (a) to (d), for example. (a) If the "shy" character value of the player's robot is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the robot performs a gesture that matches the emotion parameters or character parameters of the surrounding robots 20. (b) If the "active" personality value of the player's robot is at or above a predetermined level, the robot executes a behavior determined for the player's robot, regardless of the surrounding robots 20. (c) If the current location is a new place, the robot 20 executes a gesture that matches the emotion parameters or personality parameters of the surrounding robots 20, and if the current location is the home, the robot executes a gesture that is set for the robot itself. (d) When performing a gesture that matches the emotion parameters or personality parameters of surrounding robots 20, if there are three or more robots 20 including the robot itself, the gesture is performed according to the emotion parameters or personality parameters that are dominant by majority vote.

[0179] In the above embodiment, the control device 100 is built into the robot 20, but the control device 100 may be a separate device (e.g., a server) without being built into the robot 20. When the control device 100 is located outside the robot 20, the control device 100 communicates with the robot 20 via the communication unit 130 to send and receive data to and from the robot 20, and controls the robot 20 as described in the above embodiment.

[0180] In the above embodiment, the exterior 201 is formed in a cylindrical shape from the head 204 to the torso 206, and the robot 20 is in a crawling shape. However, the robot 20 is not limited to being modeled after a crawling creature. For example, the robot 20 may be modeled after a creature with arms and legs, and may be modeled after a four-legged or two-legged creature.

[0181] Furthermore, the electronic device is not limited to the robot 20 that imitates a living creature. For example, the electronic device may be a wristwatch or the like as long as it is capable of expressing individuality by performing various gestures. Even if the electronic device is other than the robot 20, it can be described in the same manner as the above embodiment by having the same configuration and function as the above-mentioned robot 20.

[0182] In the above embodiment, the control unit 110 functions as each unit such as the state parameter acquisition unit 112 and the gesture control unit 113 by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM. Also, in the control unit 510, the control unit 510 functions as each unit such as the shooting control unit 513 by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM. However, in the present invention, the control units 110 and 510 may be provided with dedicated hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or various control circuits instead of a CPU, and the dedicated hardware may function as each unit such as the state parameter acquisition unit 112. In this case, the functions of each unit may be realized by individual hardware, or the functions of each unit may be realized by a single hardware. Also, some of the functions of each unit may be realized by dedicated hardware, and the other parts may be realized by software or firmware.

[0183] It is possible to provide the robot 20 or the terminal device 50 equipped with a configuration for realizing the functions according to the present invention, and also possible to make an existing information processing device or the like function as the robot 20 or the terminal device 50 according to the present invention by applying a program. That is, by applying a program for realizing each functional configuration of the robot 20 or the terminal device 50 exemplified in the above embodiment so that it can be executed by a CPU or the like that controls the existing information processing device or the like, it is possible to make it function as the robot 20 or the terminal device 50 according to the present invention.

[0184] Moreover, the method of applying such a program is arbitrary. For example, the program can be applied by storing it in a computer-readable storage medium such as a flexible disk, a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or a memory card. Furthermore, the program can be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program can be posted and distributed on a bulletin board (BBS: Bulletin Board System) on a communication network. Then, the program can be started and executed under the control of an OS (Operating System) in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-mentioned processing to be executed.

[0185] The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0186] 1...robot system, 20...robot, 50...terminal device, 100...control device, 110...control unit, 112...state parameter acquisition unit, 113...gesture control unit, 120...storage unit, 121...gesture information, 122...state parameters, 124...coefficient table, 130...communication unit, 201...exterior, 204...head, 205...connection unit, 206...torso unit, 207...casing, 210...sensor unit, 211...touch sensor, 212...acceleration sensor, 213...microphone, 214...gyro sensor, 215...illumination sensor, 220...drive unit, 221...twist motor, 222...up and down motor, 230...output unit, 231... Speaker, 240...operation unit, 250...battery, 260...location information acquisition unit, 300...emotion map, 301-303...frames, 400...personality value radar chart, 510...control unit, 513...photography control unit, 514...gesture selection unit, 520...storage unit, 530...operation unit, 540...display unit, 550...communication unit, 560...photography unit, BL...bus line, A1, A2...icons, P1-P3...thumbnail images

Claims

1. A gesture selection means for selecting a gesture to be performed by the subject to be photographed; An imaging means for capturing a moving image of the subject; a gesture control means for causing the subject to perform the gesture selected by the gesture selection means; a photographing control means for causing the photographing means to end the video photographing at a timing corresponding to a timing at which the photographing subject ends the gesture; An imaging system comprising:

2. the gesture control means causes the subject to start performing the gesture selected by the gesture selection means at a timing based on a timing at which the image capture means starts capturing the moving image; 2. The imaging system according to claim 1 .

3. the gesture selection means selects at least one gesture to be performed by the subject from among a plurality of gestures, each of which has a shooting time length set for shooting the moving image; the photographing control means causes the photographing means to end the video photographing at a timing after a time based on a photographing time length set for the at least one gesture selected by the gesture selection means from a timing at which the video photographing is started.

3. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging system is a digital camera.

4. When the photographing control means receives a notification from the subject that the gesture has been completed, the photographing control means causes the photographing means to end the video photographing.

3. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging system is a digital camera.

5. the photographing control means determines whether or not the subject has finished the gesture based on the moving image obtained by photographing the moving image, and causes the photographing means to finish photographing the moving image when it is determined that the subject has finished the gesture.

3. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging system is a digital camera.

6. the subject of the photographing is a robot to which a personality parameter indicating a pseudo personality or a growth parameter indicating a pseudo growth is set, The gesture that the gesture control means causes the robot to perform varies depending on the personality parameter or the growth parameter.

3. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging system is a digital camera.

7. The photographing system includes the photographing object and a photographing device, The subject to be photographed is provided with the gesture control means, The photographing device includes the gesture selection means, the photographing means, and the photographing control means.

3. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging system is a digital camera.

8. The photographing system includes the photographing object and a photographing device, The subject to be photographed is provided with the gesture selection means and the gesture control means, The photographing device includes the photographing means and the photographing control means.

3. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging system is a digital camera.

9. An imaging device communicably connected to an object to be imaged, A gesture selection means for selecting a gesture to be performed by the subject; An imaging means for capturing a moving image of the subject; a photographing control means for causing the subject to perform the gesture selected by the gesture selection means and for causing the photographing means to end the video photographing at a timing corresponding to a timing at which the subject ends the gesture; An imaging device comprising:

10. Select the gesture you want the subject to perform, Start video recording of the subject, having the subject perform the selected gesture; and ending the video capture at a timing corresponding to a timing at which the subject ends the gesture. A photographing method characterized by the above.

11. A computer connected to the subject to be photographed so as to be capable of communicating with the subject, A gesture selection means for selecting a gesture to be performed by the subject; a photographing control means for photographing a moving image of the subject by a photographing means and for causing the subject to perform the gesture selected by the gesture selection means; A program for causing the device to function as a The photographing control means causes the photographing means to end the video photographing at a timing corresponding to a timing at which the photographing subject ends the gesture. A program to make it function like this.

Images