Communication robot

Abstract

To provide a stuffed robot which provides a user with a soothing effect through communication with physical contact.SOLUTION: A communication robot provided herein is configured to detect it when the robot is lifted or hugged by a user, and communicate with the user by moving its arms to hug the user back or by moving its head to turn its gaze toward the face of the user, thereby providing a soothing effect.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication robot, and more particularly to a stuffed toy robot. [Background technology]

[0002] A life-size stuffed toy robot with arms that can hug a user is disclosed in Patent Document 1. When the user hugs the robot by wrapping their arms around the robot's torso while the robot's torso is placed on the floor, the robot returns the hug by wrapping its arms around the user's back.

[0003] A stuffed toy-type interactive robot modeled after a baby is disclosed in Patent Document 2. This robot has no moving parts and outputs the voice of a baby in response to input from a voice input microphone or a physical quantity sensor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6935902 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7169029 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Communication that involves physical contact has a highly therapeutic effect, and is effective in relieving stress and anxiety among residents in nursing homes, for example.

[0006] Stuffed toys are easy to manufacture in sizes that allow users to freely pick them up or place them on their laps, and they can have a soothing effect through contact. However, stuffed toys cannot interact with others.

[0007] The robot in Patent Document 1 requires an operator or sensing system to grasp the relative position, orientation, and timing between the robot and the user, as well as space to install a life-size robot, making it difficult to permanently install in a facility or provide to each user. Furthermore, the user must sit in front of the robot and embrace it, making it difficult for users with physical movement or cognitive disabilities to use the robot.

[0008] The robot in Patent Document 2 is a robot that can be owned by each facility user, for example, or can be easily handled by users with physical movement or cognitive difficulties, but it has no moving parts and does not physically contact the user. While it can detect various actions from the user using physical quantity sensors, the robot only responds by voice. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Therefore, the present invention employs the following configuration to solve the above problems.

[0010] A first invention is a small (enough to be picked up) stuffed animal-type communication robot having a torso, a head connected to the torso, and two arms connected to the torso, and the robot is equipped with a head actuator incorporated between the torso and the head, arm actuators incorporated between the torso and each arm, a torso physical quantity sensor incorporated in the torso, a front physical quantity sensor incorporated in the front part of the torso or the head, and a back physical quantity sensor incorporated in the back part of the torso or the head, and a processing unit that estimates whether the robot has been picked up and whether it has subsequently transitioned to an inward-facing embrace state in which the front of the robot is facing the person and is embraced, based on the detection results of the torso physical quantity sensor, the front physical quantity sensor, and the back physical quantity sensor, and controls the head actuator and the arm actuators in accordance with these estimation results. The torso physical quantity sensor is, for example, a pressure sensor that detects external pressure, the front physical quantity sensor is, for example, an illuminance sensor that detects the brightness in front of the robot, and the back physical quantity sensor is, for example, an illuminance sensor that detects the brightness behind the robot.

[0011] The first invention makes it possible to provide a robot capable of communication, including physical contact, without compromising the advantages of stuffed toys, such as the ease with which users can interact with the robot, for example by freely picking it up or placing it on their lap, and without the need for an operator or external device, by detecting its state, for example, whether the user is lifting the robot, hugging the robot, or whether the front of the robot is facing the user.

[0012] The second invention is a communication robot in which, when the processing unit determines that the robot is in the inward hug state, for example, the processing unit controls the head actuator to make the head perform an eye contact expression movement in a direction that moves the robot's face up and down, and controls the arm actuator to make the arms perform a contact stimulation presentation movement in a direction that moves the hands between the front and back of the robot.

[0013] According to the second invention, when a user hugs a robot, the robot can communicate with the user by moving its arms to make contact with the user, or by moving its head to turn its gaze toward the user's face.

[0014] A third invention is a communication robot in which, when the robot continues to be in an inward hug state or is in a standby state where it is not being touched by a person, the processing unit controls the head actuators and arm actuators to perform emotional expression actions other than eye contact expression actions and contact stimulation presentation actions.

[0015] According to the third invention, for example, when the user is in a standby state where the robot is simply looking at it without touching it, or when time has passed while the user is holding the robot, the arms and head can be moved appropriately, allowing the robot to behave like a living animal, thereby providing a greater healing effect.

[0016] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a communication robot further comprising a voice output unit that produces speech in response to an input from the physical quantity sensor.

[0017] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, depending on the content of the speech, it is possible to, for example, guide the user to a state where the robot is hugging the robot, or to express emotions during communication with the user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The present invention can provide a high soothing effect by providing actions, including physical contact, from a robot at appropriate times without compromising the advantages of stuffed toys, such as the ease with which users can interact with them, such as by picking them up or placing them on their laps. Furthermore, since it does not require an operator or external device and can be made small and light enough to be picked up, it is relatively easy for individuals to use, for example, in nursing homes. [Brief explanation of the drawings] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view of a communication robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an axis arrangement diagram showing the internal structure of a communication robot in one embodiment. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the communication robot in one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of sensors in a communication robot according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the communication robot in one embodiment. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the orientation and positional relationship between a communication robot and a user in one embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the operation of the communication robot in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] 1 shows a robot 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention, although robots of other appearances and constructions may of course be used.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the robot 11 is a bear-shaped stuffed toy robot, and has a body 12, a head 13 connected to the body 12, two arms 14 connected to the body 12, and two legs 15. The bottom of the legs 15 is flat, allowing the robot to stand upright on two legs. The height from the top of the head to the bottom of the legs 15 is approximately 25 cm.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, the robot 11 incorporates a head actuator 21 and left and right arm actuators 22. Fig. 3 shows an initial position and attitude 31, which is the attitude when the head actuator 21 and the arm actuators 22 are set to their initial positions, an attitude 32 when the head 13 is moved upward, and an attitude 33 when the arms 14 are moved forward. By operating the head actuator 21 in the pitch axis direction, the head 13 can move up and down to direct the line of sight of the robot 11. By operating the arm actuators 22 in the yaw axis direction, the arms 14 can move their fingers closer to or away from an object in front of the robot 11.

[0022] As a countermeasure against excessive pressure that may cause danger to the user or damage to the actuator caused by the user forcibly moving the joints of the robot 11, the actuator of the embodiment can perform current control and turn off the torque when the current exceeds a certain value. The current control can also serve as a sensor for adjusting the pressure applied when presenting a contact stimulus.

[0023] As a mechanical method for preventing overload on the actuator, it is also effective to use a torque limiter using a spring or a wire-driven mechanism. With regard to the wire-driven mechanism, by placing the actuator near the legs 15 of the robot 11, the center of gravity can be lowered, which has the effect of stabilizing the autonomous posture of the bipedal robot 11.

[0024] In this embodiment, a pressure sensor is used as the physical quantity sensor for detecting contact with the user, and an illuminance sensor is used as the physical quantity sensor for detecting the relative position. As shown in Fig. 4, pressure sensors are arranged as torso physical quantity sensors 41 on the left and right sides of the body, and illuminance sensors are arranged as front physical quantity sensors 42 and back physical quantity sensors 43 on the front and back. In addition to the above sensors, electrostatic sensors, distance sensors, acceleration sensors, image sensors, and sound sensors can be used as substitutes or supplementary sensors for the physical quantity sensors to detect contact with the user and the relative position.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, the robot 11 has a processing unit 51 and a memory unit 52 that are responsible for overall control, and provides command values ​​to an actuator control interface 54 via a bus 53 to control the head actuators 21 and arm actuators 22.

[0026] The sensor interface 55 receives data from the pressure sensor 41 and the illuminance sensors 42 and 43, and sends the data to the processing unit 51 via the bus 53. The processing unit 51 executes a program stored in the memory unit 52 and detects the state of the robot 11 based on the received data.

[0027] The processing unit 51 and the storage unit 52 can be controlled by a smartphone having these functions built into the robot, in which case it is possible to use various sensor data acquired by the smartphone, such as data on acceleration and illuminance, as well as wireless communication functions. Using the wireless communication functions, it is possible to add functions such as allowing a third party assisting the user to remotely control the robot and execute emotional expression motions to attract the user's attention, or to incorporate a breath sensor into the robot so that the user's health condition can be monitored by an external terminal.

[0028] In this embodiment, whether or not the user has lifted the robot 11 is detected based on the output value of the torso physical quantity sensor 41 described above. FIG. 6 shows the lifting state 61. For detecting the lifting 61, for example, a capacitance proximity sensor or a reflective photosensor can be used instead of a pressure sensor. In this embodiment, the sensor is attached to the side of the body, which is an area that is easy for the user to touch when lifting the robot, but since the position that is easy to touch when lifting varies depending on the shape of the robot, the sensor must be placed appropriately.

[0029] Within a certain time after the detection of lifting 61, it is estimated based on the output values ​​of the front physical quantity sensor 42 and the back physical quantity sensor 43 whether the front of the robot 11 is facing the user (inward hug 62) or facing away from the user (outward hug 63), as shown in Fig. 6. The detection of the inward hug 62 state can also be performed using, for example, a distance measurement sensor.

[0030] When the inward hug 62 is detected, the robot 11 plays an eye contact expression action 64 in which the head 13 is turned upward, and a contact stimulus presentation action 65 in which the arms 14 are moved forward. Playing these actions in the inward hug 62 posture makes it possible to realize an eye contact expression in which the robot 11 turns its gaze in the approximate direction of the user's face, and an action in which the robot approaches the user's body and attempts physical contact.

[0031] For example, if a user does not like being touched by a robot, the robot may forcefully touch the user, which could result in a negative impression of the robot. However, because the user is holding the robot, it is possible to avoid contact by, for example, moving the robot slightly away from the user's body, thereby enabling communication that respects the user's wishes.

[0032] A speaker for outputting voice may be built in. In this case, the robot 11 can communicate with the user not only passively waiting for the user to pick it up in the standby state but also by making voice prompts such as "I want you to hold me," or by saying "I'm happy" or "I love you" when being held.

[0033] 7 shows the operation flow of the robot 11. In step S1, the robot 11 waits in the initial position and posture 31. At this time, instead of just waiting stationary, the robot can also make emotional expression motions or speak, such as waving its arms or moving its head up and down at regular intervals, to attract the user's attention.

[0034] In step S2, when the user picks up the torso 12 of the robot 11, lifting 61 is detected based on the output of the torso physical quantity sensor 41. The condition for detecting lifting 61 may be, for example, a method of determining whether or not the output values ​​of both the left and right torso physical quantity sensors 41 are equal to or greater than a threshold value, but the conditions are set appropriately depending on the shape of the robot, the type of sensor, etc.

[0035] When lifting 61 is detected, the process proceeds to step S3, where an inward hug 62 determination is performed. When the robot 11 is in the inward hug 62 state, the front side of the robot 11 is covered by the user's body, and the illuminance on the front side is sufficiently lower than that on the back side. Therefore, the inward hug 62 state can be detected, for example, by comparing the total output values ​​of the front physical quantity sensor 42 and the back physical quantity sensor 43 within a predetermined time after lifting detection, and determining whether the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold value; however, conditions can be set appropriately depending on the shape of the robot, the type of sensor, etc.

[0036] If an inward hug is not detected in step S3, the process proceeds to step S4, where a hug request motion is played, and the process returns to the lift determination in step S2. The hug request motion is, for example, a motion of closing and opening both arms, and various other motion expressions using movable parts are also possible. If an inward hug 62 state is detected in step S3, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, an eye contact expression action 64 and a contact stimulation presentation action 65 are played in the inward hug 62 state.

[0037] In step S6, if predetermined conditions are met based on the output values ​​of the front physical quantity sensor 42 and the rear physical quantity sensor 43, the process proceeds to step S7, where an emotional expression motion is played. The emotional expression motion can be a variety of motion expressions using movable parts, such as a motion in which both arms touch and release the user while the head is facing upward, or a motion in which the head moves up and down as if nodding while the arms are touching. By playing an emotional expression motion, the robot does not only move when the user starts to hug, but it is possible to continue physical communication even while the hug is ongoing.

[0038] If the sensor does not meet the predetermined conditions in step S6, the process returns to the lifting determination in step S2. If the object is being lifted, the process returns to step S3 again, and if the object is not being lifted, the process returns to step S1, and the robot 11 returns to the initial position and posture 31. At this time, if a voice output device is built in, it is also possible to perform voice communication by playing sounds such as "Thank you for playing" or "Hold me more."

[0039] The above-described motion expressions and state transitions of the robot are merely examples, and modifications and variations can be added as needed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 11. Robot 12 Torso 13 Head 14 Arm 21 Head actuator 22 Arm actuator 41 Body physical quantity sensor 42 Front physical quantity sensor 43 Rear physical quantity sensor 51 Processing section 61 Lifting 62 Inward Embrace 64 Eye Contact Expressions 65 Touch Stimulus Presentation

Claims

1. A stuffed animal-type communication robot having a torso, a head connected to the torso, and two arms connected to the torso, and comprising a head actuator incorporated between the torso and the head, arm actuators incorporated between the torso and each arm, a torso physical quantity sensor incorporated in the torso, a front physical quantity sensor incorporated in the front part of the torso or the head, and a back physical quantity sensor incorporated in the back part of the torso or the head, and a processing unit that estimates whether the robot has been lifted and whether it has subsequently transitioned to an inward-facing embrace state in which the front of the robot is facing away from a person, based on detection results from the torso physical quantity sensor, the front physical quantity sensor, and the back physical quantity sensor, and controls the head actuator and the arm actuators in accordance with these estimation results.

2. 2. The communication robot of claim 1, wherein when the processing unit determines that the robot is in the inward hug state, for example, the processing unit controls the head actuator to make the head move to express eye contact by moving the robot's face up and down, and controls the arm actuator to make the arms move to present contact stimulation by moving the hands between the front and back of the robot.

3. 3. The communication robot according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit controls the head actuators and the arm actuators to perform emotional expression actions other than eye contact expression actions and contact stimulation presentation actions when the robot continues to be in an inward hug state or when the robot is in a standby state where it is not being touched by a person.

4. The communication robot according to claim 1 , further comprising a voice output unit that produces speech in response to the input from the physical quantity sensor.

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