Robot, robot control method, and program

Abstract

To express a more lifelike quality. [Solution] The robot 100 includes a detection unit for detecting objects, an eye unit 150 that mimics an eye and can change the position and size of the pupil, and a control unit 110 that performs a first control to move the position of the pupil in the eye unit 150 to indicate that the robot is looking at an object detected by the detection unit, and a second control to change the position or size of the pupil in the eye unit 150 in a wavering manner, which is a different pupil movement from the movement of the pupil position by the first control.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot, a robot control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, robots that imitate living organisms such as pets have been developed. Among the robots that imitate living organisms, there are those that can express rich expressions so that they can be more familiar to users. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a robot that changes an eye image so as to express the line of sight and emotions of the robot.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The robot disclosed in Patent Document 1 can express the line of sight and emotions of the robot by changing the eye image, but it is insufficient for expressing more lifelikeness.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a robot, a robot control method, and a program that can express more lifelikeness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, one aspect of the robot according to the present invention is a detection unit that detects an object, an eye-like part capable of changing the position and size of the pupil, A control unit that performs: a first control that moves the position of the pupil in the eye area to indicate that the gaze is directed toward an object detected by the detection unit; and a second control that performs a movement of the pupil different from the movement of the pupil's position by the first control, which causes the position or size of the pupil in the eye area to fluctuate. It is equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to express a more lifelike appearance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows the external appearance of the robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a robot. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of how the robot's eyes can be made to appear to waver. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of how the shape of a robot's eye changes when it blinks. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of an image in which there are no objects of interest to the robot. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a robot directing its gaze to its initial position. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of an image in which a robot is interested in a cat. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a robot directing its gaze towards the cat shown in Figure 7. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of an image in which a robot is of interest to people. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a robot directing its gaze towards the person shown in Figure 9. [Figure 11] This is an example of a flowchart illustrating the flow of control processing for the robot's eye. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of an importance table stored in the robot's memory. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of a fluctuation parameter table stored in the robot's memory unit. [Figure 14] This is an example of a flowchart illustrating the process of controlling a robot's blinking. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

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

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the robot 100 according to this embodiment is a cute pet robot that expresses lifelike eyes 151 by shaking (or making shake) its eyes 151 (pupils (iris 152 and pupil 153) and the sparkle (highlight 154) of the eyes) in response to objects captured by the camera 141. The robot 100 is also equipped with a mouth 181 and legs 182, and can express simulated emotions not only with its eyes 151 but also with its mouth 181 and legs 182. As shown in Figure 2, the robot 100 includes, in terms of its functional configuration, a control unit 110, a memory unit 120, an external stimulus detection unit 130, an object detection unit 140, an eye unit 150, an operation input unit 160, and a communication unit 170.

[0011] The control unit 110 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executes eye control processing, etc., as described later, using a program stored in the memory unit 120. The control unit 110 supports multithreading functionality, which allows multiple processes to be executed in parallel, and can execute various processes (for example, eye control processing and blink control processing, described later) in parallel. The control unit 110 also has a clock function and a timer function, which allows it to measure the date and time and time. The storage unit 120 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. In the ROM, programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 110 and data necessary in advance for executing the programs are stored. The flash memory is a writable non-volatile memory, and stores data that needs to be saved even after the power is turned off. In the RAM, data created or changed during program execution is stored. The storage unit 120 stores, for example, design data of an eye including the pupil, fluctuation parameters described later, blink parameters, and the like.

[0012] The external stimulus detection unit 130 includes various sensors and detects information outside the robot 100. Specifically, as various sensors, the external stimulus detection unit 130 includes, for example, a tactile sensor that detects being touched or struck, a temperature sensor that detects temperature, an image sensor that acquires an image (however, the camera 141 of the object detection unit 140 may be used as the image sensor), a microphone (voice sensor) that acquires voice, an illuminance sensor that detects illuminance, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a gyro sensor that detects angular velocity, and the like. The control unit 110 acquires sensor information (external stimuli) detected by the various sensors included in the external stimulus detection unit 130. Thereby, the control unit 110 can set various emotions (pseudo-emotions) of the robot based on various external stimuli. Note that the external stimulus detection unit 130 may include sensors other than the various sensors described above. By increasing the types of sensors included in the external stimulus detection unit 130, the types of external stimuli that the control unit 110 can acquire can be increased.

[0013] The object detection unit 140 includes a camera 141, captures (acquires) an image of the front of the robot 100, and detects an object in the captured image. The image acquired by the camera included in the object detection unit 140 is an image assumed to be visible from the eye unit 150 of the robot 100. The method by which the object detection unit 140 detects an object from the image acquired by the camera 141 is arbitrary. For example, various object detection algorithms or template matching may be used, or a deep neural network that has been pre-trained for object detection may be used.

[0014] The eye unit 150 includes a display that displays the eyes 151. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, a display exists inside the face of the robot 100, and a hole is formed in a portion corresponding to the position of the eyes 151, so that the eyes 151 (for example, the shape of the pupils, etc.) displayed on the display can be visually recognized by the user. Note that the eye unit 150 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1, and any device can be used as long as it can simulate the eyes 151 capable of changing at least one state (eye state) of the position, size, and shape of the eyes 151. For example, the entire face may be a display, and not only the eyes 151 but also the mouth 181, etc. may be displayed on the display. The operation input unit 160 is an interface for receiving user operations such as turning on / off the power and adjusting the volume of the output sound, for example. The communication unit 170 includes a communication module corresponding to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the like, and performs data communication with other devices.

[0015] The functional configuration of the robot 100 has been described above. The robot 100 changes the way the eye 151 shakes (shakes) according to the type and position of the object detected by the object detection unit 140. Shaking (shaking) the eye 151 means changing the size of the pupil (iris 152 and pupil 153) by expanding or contracting it (enlarging or shrinking it) based on multi-body dynamics or fluid dynamics, as shown in Figure 3, thereby causing the pupil to shake. In the example shown in Figure 3, the uppermost pupil has a width of 10.5 mm and a height of 17 mm, the middle pupil has a width of 13.2 mm and a height of 18 mm, and the lowermost pupil has a width of 16 mm and a height of 20 mm. Changing the way the eye shakes (shakes) means changing the expansion / contraction ratio (magnification ratio and contraction ratio, also simply called amplitude) and expansion / contraction period (magnification period and contraction period, also simply called period) when expanding or contracting the size of the pupil. In the example shown in Figure 3, the horizontal expansion rate is (16-10.5)÷10.5 = approximately 52%, and the height expansion rate is (20-17)÷17 = approximately 18%. In Figure 3, the expansion / contraction rates are large to clearly show the expansion and contraction, but the inventor has experimentally confirmed that an expansion / contraction rate of around 5% to 20% and an expansion / contraction period of around 1 to 3 Hz makes it look like the pupil of a natural living creature. The way the eye 151 is shaken (how it is shaken), that is, the way it is enlarged or reduced, can be linear or nonlinear. Furthermore, a method of shaking (how it is shaken) using physical calculations can also be used, and in particular, if the size of the pupil is expanded and contracted to fluctuate based on multi-body dynamics simulations (pendulum calculators) or fluid dynamics calculations, it is easy to express lifelike movement.

[0016] Furthermore, the movements derived from simulations and calculations based on many-body mechanics and fluid dynamics are not entirely random, but rather based on specific rules. However, they have the characteristic of being able to represent chaotic and unpredictable movements, making them suitable for representing more lifelike behavior. Furthermore, the more lifelike movements referred to here are not the eye movements that occur when an organism intentionally (purposefully) shifts its gaze or blinks, or the changes in eye design to express emotions, but rather the unconscious (purposeless) eye movements of an organism. As long as such movements can be expressed, the method of shaking the eye 151 described above (such as expanding and contracting the pupil size in a fluctuating manner, or movements based on multi-body mechanics or fluid dynamics) is not the only option. For example, the pupil size, pupil position, and eye design could be randomly changed to produce 1 / f fluctuations. Furthermore, when shaking the eye 151, it is desirable to gradually reduce the expansion and contraction so that the shaking ends after a predetermined decay time (for example, 2 seconds). By decaying the movement in this way, it is possible to express even more lifelike movements.

[0017] Furthermore, the robot 100 moves its gaze to look at an object of interest to it, depending on the type and location of the object detected by the object detection unit 140. Therefore, the robot 100 may move its gaze while shaking (or making the eyes 151 shake). Furthermore, the robot 100 may shake its eyes 151 at a slow frequency (e.g., 0.25 Hz), similar to the breathing of an animal. Furthermore, the robot 100 may change its blinking pattern depending on the type and position of the object detected by the object detection unit 140. Blinking refers to opening and closing the eyelids 155, as shown in Figure 4. Changing the blinking pattern means changing the speed and timing of opening and closing the eyelids 155. This speed and timing of opening and closing the eyelids 155 are stored as blinking parameters in the memory unit 120.

[0018] Furthermore, the robot 100 sets a simulated emotion based on external stimuli detected by the external stimulus detection unit 130. How the robot 100 sets the simulated emotion is arbitrary, but for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-82536, the control unit 110 can set a simulated emotion based on external stimuli (detectable by the external stimulus detection unit 130). By setting a simulated emotion, the control unit 110 can control the eye unit 150 and other parts based on the simulated emotion, enabling the robot 100 to express more lifelike expressions and movements. Then, in order to express simulated emotions, the robot 100 changes the design of the eye 151 (position, shape and size of the eye 151, shape of the pupil, shine (highlight), size and position, presence or absence of tears, presence or absence of eyelashes, state of the eyelids, etc.) in the eye unit 150. The control unit 110 that determines the eye state (position, shape, size, etc. of the eye 151) based on simulated emotions is also called eye state control. How the control unit 110 changes the design of the eye 151 in response to simulated emotions is arbitrary. By changing the design of the eye 151 based on simulated emotions, the control unit 110 can make more lifelike emotional expressions. Furthermore, the expression of simulated emotions is not limited to the eyes 151. For example, instead of changing the design of the eyes 151, or in addition to changing the design of the eyes 151, the design of the mouth 181 (shape, size, position, etc. of the mouth 181) may be changed. In addition to changing these facial expressions, the robot 100 may also be equipped with a speaker and express emotions through the type of sound it emits from the speaker, or it may express emotions by moving parts of the robot 100's body (e.g., legs 182).

[0019] Robot 100 does not move its gaze if there is no object of interest in the image acquired by camera 141. For example, as shown in Figure 5, if only the round table 211, which is of no interest to robot 100, is present in image 200, robot 100 does not move its gaze. In other words, as shown in Figure 5, the gaze remains set to the initial gaze position 201, which is the center of image 200. When robot 100 is viewed from the front in this state, as shown in Figure 6, the pupil (iris 152 and pupil 153) can be seen to be located almost in the center of the eye 151. In this case, the pupil does not need to be shaking (or being shaken), but it may shake (or be shaken) with a slow period (e.g., 0.25 Hz), similar to animal respiration.

[0020] Then, when an object of interest (object of interest) is detected in the image acquired by camera 141, the gaze moves to that object of interest, and the amount of fluctuation of the eye 151 (fluctuation parameters) is adjusted according to the amount of gaze movement and the importance of the object of interest. For example, as shown in Figure 7, when a cat 212 of moderate importance (e.g., 60) enters the image 200, the robot 100 moves its gaze to the position 202 where the cat 212 is located and also fluctuates the eye 151 based on the fluctuation parameters. In this example, the amount of gaze movement 221 is about 30% of the width of the image 200, and the fluctuation parameters are determined based on the magnitude of this gaze movement 221 and the importance of the object of interest at the gaze destination (the importance of this cat 212 is 60) (for example, the expansion / contraction period is 1.25 Hz, the pupil expansion / contraction ratio is 8% in the horizontal direction and 4% in the vertical direction, etc.). When viewing the robot 100 in this state from the front, as shown in Figure 8, the pupil (iris 152 and pupil 153) in the eye 151 moves to the lower left of the center of the eye 151 in order to face the cat 212, and it can be seen that it fluctuates (expands and contracts) in this position for a predetermined time.

[0021] Then, as shown in Figure 9, for example, if a person 213 with high importance (e.g., 80) enters the image 200 from this state, the robot 100 moves its gaze to the position 203 where the person 213 is located and shakes its eyes 151 based on the fluctuation parameters. In this example, the amount of gaze movement 222 is about 40% of the width of the image 200, and the fluctuation parameters are determined based on the magnitude of this amount of gaze movement 222 and the importance of the object of interest at the gaze destination (the importance of this person 213 is 80) (for example, the expansion / contraction period is 2.0 Hz, the pupil expansion / contraction ratio is 12% in the horizontal direction and 6% in the vertical direction, etc.). When viewing the robot 100 in this state from the front, as shown in Figure 10, the pupil (iris 152 and pupil 153) in the eye 151 moves to the upper left of the center of the eye 151 in order to face the person 213, and it can be seen that it fluctuates (expands and contracts) in this position for a predetermined time.

[0022] As explained above, the eye control process for the control unit 110 of the robot 100 to control the eye unit 150 will now be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 11. When the user turns on the power to the robot 100, the eye control process begins.

[0023] First, the control unit 110 acquires an image captured by the camera 141 of the object detection unit 140 (step S101). Here, in addition to the camera 141, various sensors provided by the external stimulus detection unit 130 (e.g., tactile sensor, temperature sensor, microphone, illuminance sensor, etc.) may also be used to identify objects. Then, the control unit 110 detects an object from the acquired image and obtains the importance of that object (step S102). Any object detection algorithm can be used for object detection. The method for determining the importance of the detected object is also arbitrary, but for example, an importance table 121, in which the importance of each type of object is set, as shown in Figure 12, may be stored in the storage unit 120 in advance, and the control unit 110 may obtain the importance by referring to the importance table 121. The importance table shown in Figure 12 includes "owner" and "pet" as object types, but these are assumed to be taught to the robot 100 in advance by the user. Next, the control unit 110 determines, based on the result of step S102, whether or not there is an object that requires gaze movement (step S103). An object that requires gaze movement is an object that the robot 100 is interested in. This can be done by registering objects that the robot 100 is interested in in advance in the memory unit 120, or it can be set based on some rule (for example, "objects with an importance of medium or higher on the importance table 121 are considered objects of interest").

[0024] If there is an object that requires a change in gaze direction (step S103; Yes), the control unit 110 obtains the coordinate position of the object and calculates the amount of gaze movement from the current gaze position to the object (step S104). For example, in the example shown in Figure 7, the control unit 110 obtains the position 202 of the cat 212 and calculates the amount of gaze movement 221 from the initial gaze position 201, which is the current gaze position, to the position 202 of the cat 212. Then, the control unit 110 controls the eye unit 150 to direct the gaze toward the object (step S105). The control in step S105 to direct the gaze toward the object (control to move the position of the pupil in the eye unit 150) is also called the first control. The control unit 110 then determines the parameters for pupil movement (fluctuation parameters) based on the amount of gaze movement and the importance of the object (step S106). The method for determining the fluctuation parameters is arbitrary, but for example, a fluctuation parameter table 122, in which fluctuation parameters are set according to the amount of gaze movement and importance, as shown in Figure 13, may be stored in the storage unit 120 in advance, and the control unit 110 may determine the fluctuation parameters by referring to the fluctuation parameter table 122. In the fluctuation parameter table 122 shown in Figure 13, "vertical" and "horizontal" are the vertical and horizontal expansion / contraction ratios, and these represent the amplitude of the fluctuation, and are also called the amount of fluctuation. The control unit 110 then controls the eye unit 150 based on the determined fluctuation parameter to make the pupil fluctuate, and attenuates the amount of pupil fluctuation according to the elapsed time (step S107). For example, the amount of fluctuation is gradually reduced so that the amount of pupil fluctuation becomes 0 in a predetermined time (e.g., 2 seconds). The control that makes the pupil fluctuate (changes it to fluctuate) in step S107 (a movement of the pupil that is different from the movement of the pupil's position by the first control, and is a control that changes the position or size of the pupil in the eye unit 150 to fluctuate) is also called the second control. Then, the process returns to step S101.

[0025] On the other hand, if there is no object that requires eye movement (step S103; No), the control unit 110 determines whether a certain amount of time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed since the last time the eyes were moved (step S108). If a certain amount of time has not yet elapsed (step S108; No), return to step S101. If a certain amount of time has elapsed (step S108; Yes), the control unit 110 determines the amount of gaze movement from the current gaze position to the center of the image (initial gaze position 201), and controls the eye unit 150 to return the gaze to the center of the image (initial gaze position 201) (step S109). Then, the control unit 110 determines the parameters for pupil movement based on the determined amount of gaze movement and a predetermined importance (for example, if there is no object of interest in the current image, the importance is set to low (e.g., 10)) (step S110), and proceeds to step S107.

[0026] Through the eye control processing described above, the robot 100 can direct its gaze towards an object of interest and change the movement of its pupils to create a more lifelike expression. Furthermore, by adjusting the size of the pupil to make it appear to fluctuate based on multi-body dynamics or fluid dynamics, it is possible to express lifelike movements with relatively simple calculations. In step S106 described above, the control unit 110 determined the fluctuation parameters based on the amount of gaze movement and the importance of the object, but this is only one example of how to determine the fluctuation parameters. When determining the fluctuation parameters, the control unit 110 may use the type of object instead of the importance of the object, or use the position of the object instead of these, or use a combination of these. In other words, if the object information includes at least one of the object's position, importance, and type, the control unit 110 only needs to determine the fluctuation parameters (at least one of the fluctuation period and amplitude) based on the object information. This improves the degree of freedom in how the robot 100's eyes flicker, making it possible to create a more lifelike expression. Furthermore, by attenuating the amount of pupil fluctuation according to the elapsed time since the pupil started flickering, the control unit 110 can create an even more lifelike eye 151. Furthermore, the control unit 110 determines the fluctuation parameter for the second control, which causes the pupil to waver, according to the amount of gaze movement by the first control. For example, if the amount of gaze movement is large, the pupil can waver more, making it possible to create a more lifelike expression.

[0027] Furthermore, the control unit 110 may not only make the pupils move but also change the design (size, shape, etc.) of the eyes 151, such as by making them blink, to express even more lifelike expressions. The blinking control process for making the robot blink will be explained with reference to Figure 14. The blinking control process is started when the control unit 110 makes the eye part 150 of the robot 100 blink, and is stopped when it does not make the robot blink. First, the control unit 110 waits for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) (step S201). Then, the control unit 110 determines whether or not to blink (step S202). For example, this can be done by using a random number to make the blinking action occur with a predetermined probability (for example, a probability of 1 / 3). If the blinking action is not to occur (step S202; No), the process returns to step S201. If the blinking action is to occur (step S202; Yes), the control unit 110 controls the eye portion 150 to make the eyelids 155 open and close, for example as shown in Figure 4, to make the blinking action occur (step S203), and then returns to step S202.

[0028] By performing this blinking control process, the robot 100 can change the size or shape of its eyes 151, allowing it to express more lifelike movements. The predetermined time in step S201, the predetermined probability in step S202, and the speed at which the eyelids 155 are opened and closed in step S203 are stored in the memory unit 120 as blinking parameters. The control unit 110 may set these blinking parameters according to the robot 100's simulated emotions or the importance of objects of interest in the image 200 captured by the camera 141. By setting the blinking parameters, the control unit 110 can make the robot 100 blink in various ways, allowing the user to enjoy the robot 100's expressions in a way that never gets boring. Furthermore, the blink control process does not necessarily have to be run continuously. For example, the blink control process could be started when an object of interest to the robot 100 (for example, an object with an importance greater than a predetermined value (for example, 50)) is present in the robot 100's field of view (image 200 captured by camera 141), and stopped when there are no longer any objects of interest.

[0029] Furthermore, as described above, the control unit 110 can set a simulated emotion based on the external stimulus detected by the external stimulus detection unit 130, and change the design of the eye 151 (size, shape, etc.) based on the set simulated emotion. Alternatively, blinking control processing may be performed based on the simulated emotion. The control by the control unit 110 that changes the design of the eye 151 (including blinking) based on the simulated emotion is also called the third control. By having the control unit 110 perform the third control, the robot 100 can express a wider range of emotions. For example, when the robot 100's simulated emotion changes to "surprise," the control unit 110 performs the third control to make the eyes 151 blink, making it appear to the user as if the robot 100 is blinking in surprise, thus enabling richer emotional expression. Furthermore, the aforementioned second control is a control of pupil movement that is different from the movement of pupil position by the first control, and is also a control of pupil movement that is different from the change in the design of the eye 151 by the third control. In other words, to explain it more simply, the control unit 110 controls the movement of the pupil's position in the first control, controls the change in the pupil's size in the second control, and controls a change in the pupil's design that is different from the movement of the pupil's position and the change in the pupil's size in the third control.

[0030] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 110 changes the size of the pupil to fluctuate based on many-body dynamics or fluid dynamics in the second control, but the method of fluctuating the pupil is not limited to this. The control unit 110 may change the method of fluctuating the pupil in a nonlinear or random manner, for example. This makes it possible to express artificial pupil changes that differ from those of normal living creatures. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 110 determined fluctuation parameters based on the amount of gaze movement and the importance of the object in the line of sight, and changed the pupil to fluctuate based on the fluctuation parameters. However, the object to be fluctuated is not limited to the pupil, and the determining factors for the fluctuation parameters are not limited to the amount of gaze movement and the importance of the object in the line of sight. For example, the control unit 110 may perform control (fluctuation control) that fluctuates the eye state (at least one state of the position, size, and shape of the eye 151) based on non-emotional information that does not include simulated emotions (for example, the number of important objects in the image 200 captured by the camera 141). This allows the user to grasp the robot 100's simulated emotions through the eye state and non-emotional information through fluctuations in the eye state.

[0031] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the control unit 110 of the robot 100 controls the eye unit 150, but a separate device (a device that controls the robot 100) may be provided with a control unit and a communication unit that control the eye unit 150 of the robot 100, and the communication unit 170 of the robot 100 controls the eye unit 150 of the robot 100.

[0032] In the embodiments described above, the operation program executed by the CPU of the control unit 110 was described as being stored in advance in the ROM of the storage unit 120. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the operation program for executing the various processes described above may be implemented in an existing general-purpose computer or the like, thereby functioning as a device for controlling the robot 100 according to the embodiments described above.

[0033] The method of providing such programs is optional. For example, they may be distributed by storing them on a computer-readable storage medium (flexible disk, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, MO (Magneto-Optical Disc), memory card, USB memory, etc.), or they may be stored on network storage such as the internet and provided for download.

[0034] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned processing is performed through a division of labor between the OS (Operating System) and the application program, or through collaboration between the OS and the application program, only the application program may be stored on a recording medium or storage device. It is also possible to superimpose the program onto a carrier wave and distribute it over a network. For example, the above program may be posted on a bulletin board system (BBS) on a network and distributed over the network. This program can then be launched and executed under the control of the OS, just like other application programs, to perform the above-mentioned processing.

[0035] This invention allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the invention. In other words, the scope of the invention is indicated not by the embodiments, but by the claims. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the equivalent scope of the meaning of the invention are considered to be within the scope of this invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 100...Robot, 110...Control Unit, 120...Memory Unit, 130...External Stimulus Detection Unit, 140...Object Detection Unit, 150...Eye Unit, 160...Operation Input Unit, 170...Communication Unit

Claims

1. A detection unit for detecting objects, An eye-like part that can change the position and size of the pupil, A control unit that performs: a first control that moves the position of the pupil in the eye area to indicate that the gaze is directed toward an object detected by the detection unit; and a second control that performs a movement of the pupil different from the movement of the pupil's position by the first control, which causes the position or size of the pupil in the eye area to fluctuate. A robot equipped with [the following features].

2. The control unit, In the second control, the size of the pupil in the eye is changed to fluctuate based on object information relating to the object detected by the detection unit. The robot according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned eye portion can be further modified to change the design of the eye. The control unit, A third control is further performed to set a simulated emotion for the robot and change the design of the eye in the eye area based on the set simulated emotion. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the second control controls the movement of the pupil, which is different from the movement of the pupil's position by the first control and the change in the eye's design by the third control.

4. The control unit, In the first control, the movement of the pupil's position is controlled. In the second control, the change in pupil size is controlled, In the third control, a change in the design of the eye is controlled, which is different from the movement of the pupil's position and the change in the pupil's size. The robot according to claim 3.

5. The control unit, In the second control, the pupil size is changed to fluctuate based on multi-body dynamics or fluid dynamics. The robot according to claim 1.

6. The object information includes at least one of the detected object's location, importance, and type. The robot according to claim 2.

7. The control unit, In the second control, parameters of the fluctuation motion, including the period or amplitude, when changing the pupil size to cause fluctuations are determined based on the object information. The robot according to claim 6.

8. The control unit, In accordance with the amount of gaze movement by the first control, the second control determines the fluctuation parameters, which are parameters of the fluctuation motion when the position or size of the pupil is changed to fluctuate. The robot according to claim 1.

9. The aforementioned eye portion can be further modified to change the design of the eye. The control unit, A third control is further performed to set a simulated emotion for the robot and to change the design of the eye in the eye area based on the set simulated emotion. The robot according to claim 1.

10. The control unit, In the third control described above, the shape of the eyes is changed by making the eyes blink. The robot according to claim 9.

11. The control unit, In the second control, the way the pupil shakes is changed nonlinearly or randomly. The robot according to claim 1.

12. The system further comprises at least one of the following sensors: a tactile sensor, an image sensor, a temperature sensor, a sound sensor, and an illuminance sensor. The control unit, Based on the sensor information detected by the aforementioned sensor, the simulated emotion is set. The robot according to claim 9.

13. The control unit, Set the predetermined blinking parameters, The eye is made to blink based on the blinking parameter. The robot according to claim 10.

14. The control unit, Based on the aforementioned object information, the amount of pupil fluctuation is determined. The amount of fluctuation determined is reduced according to the elapsed time since the detection of the object. The robot according to claim 1.

15. An eye-like part that can change the eye state, which is at least one state of position, size, and shape, A control unit that sets simulated emotions for a robot and controls its actions based on emotion information including the simulated emotions, Equipped with, The control unit, Based on the aforementioned simulated emotions, eye state control is performed to determine the eye state. Based on the aforementioned non-emotional information that does not include the pseudo-emotion, a fluctuation control is performed to introduce fluctuations to the eye state determined by the eye state control. robot.

16. A detection unit for detecting objects, An eye-like part that can change the position and size of the pupil, Control unit and The control unit of the robot, which is equipped with, The following are performed: a first control that moves the position of the pupil in the eye area to indicate that the gaze is directed toward the object detected by the detection unit; and a second control that causes the pupil to move in a way that is different from the movement of the pupil's position by the first control, and causes the position or size of the pupil in the eye area to fluctuate. Robot control methods.

17. A detection unit for detecting objects, An eye-like part that can change the position and size of the pupil, Control unit and The control unit of the robot, which is equipped with the following: A first control that moves the position of the pupil in the eye area to indicate that the gaze is directed toward the object detected by the detection unit; and a second control that moves the pupil in a way that is different from the movement of the pupil's position by the first control, causing the position or size of the pupil in the eye area to fluctuate. A program that executes the command.

Images