robot

Abstract

To provide a robot that enables a person around it to easily know the robot recognizing him or her.SOLUTION: According to one embodiment, a robot (1) includes a line of sight presentation unit (11) that presents the robot (1)'s pseudo line of sight; a human detection unit (12) that detects a person around the robot; and a control unit (10) that causes the line of sight presented by the line of sight presentation unit (11) to be temporarily turned to the person detected by the human detection unit (12).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Robots equipped with means for expressing eyeballs and capable of moving their line of sight are known in the prior art. Patent Document 1 below discloses a robot that converses by looking into the eyes of a conversation partner. Patent Document 2 also discloses a communication robot that can displace its eyeballs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-34274 A (Published February 5, 2004) [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-42151 A (Published February 12, 2004) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the above-mentioned conventional technology is used, there is a problem in that people other than the conversation partner cannot know whether the robot recognizes them or not.

[0005] People tend to feel reassured when they know that a robot recognizes them, and feel uneasy when they do not know whether the robot recognizes them or not. For example, if a person knows that a robot recognizes them, they can pass by the robot with peace of mind, but if they do not know whether the robot recognizes them or not, they cannot pass by the robot with peace of mind. In this way, when using conventional technology, the presence of a robot can cause people to feel uneasy.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to realize a robot that is less likely to make people other than its conversation partner feel uneasy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a gaze presentation unit that presents a pseudo-gaze of the robot, a human detection unit that detects people around the robot, and a control unit that temporarily directs the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit toward the person detected by the human detection unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a robot that can easily understand how a person perceives it can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a robot according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of a robot. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart showing a processing flow according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a robot passing a person. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a robot according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a robot passing a person. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a robot according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of various measurements of biological information performed by a measurement unit. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following will describe an embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS.

[0011] [Embodiment 1] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which a robot temporarily turns its gaze toward a detected person.

[0012] [1. Structure of Robot 1] The configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram of a robot 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the robot 1.

[0013] The robot 1 is a robot used for medical care or the like in a care facility or a hospital, and includes a control unit 10, a gaze presentation unit 11, a human detection unit 12, and a running unit 13.

[0014] The control unit 10 is a control device that controls the entire robot 1. The control unit 10 performs, for example, processing to control the gaze direction presented by the gaze presentation unit 11. The control unit 10 also controls the traveling unit 13 to enable the robot 1 to travel autonomously. In one embodiment, the control unit 10 controls the traveling unit 13 so that the robot 1 autonomously travels along a basic route that has been input to the robot 1 in advance.

[0015] The gaze presentation unit 11 presents a pseudo gaze of the robot 1. Note that the configuration in which the gaze presentation unit 11 is realized is not limited to a specific configuration. For example, the gaze presentation unit 11 may include components that represent the eyes of the robot 1, and the operation of moving the pseudo gaze of the robot 1 may be realized by a configuration in which the components representing the black eyes are physically movable. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation of moving the gaze by the gaze presentation unit 11 may be realized by the eyes displayed on the display pointing in any direction. In the above configuration, the display may be interpreted as realizing the mechanism of the gaze presentation unit 11, or the gaze presentation unit 11 may be interpreted as including a display.

[0016] The human detection unit 12 includes, for example, a range sensor or an infrared camera, and detects people around the robot 1, that is, people. Note that the detection target of the human detection unit 12 is not limited to people, and the human detection unit 12 may be configured to be able to detect, for example, animals or other objects. In the above configuration, the human detection unit 12 or the control unit 10 may be able to distinguish between people and other animals and objects by, for example, machine learning, or may be able to estimate the difference based on body temperature, size, or the like.

[0017] The running unit 13 is a member such as a wheel that has at least the function of moving the robot 1 forward or changing direction. The running unit 13 may also have the function of moving the robot 1 backward. The running unit 13 may also be configured to be realized by, for example, a crawler or the like.

[0018] Note that the number of components included in the robot 1 is not limited to one, and the robot 1 may be configured to include a plurality of such components. Also, part of the above-described processing in each component may be executed by another component. Also, the robot 1 may have a function to communicate with an external device not shown in FIG. 1, and part of the above-described processing in each component may be executed by the external device. Also, the robot 1 may be capable of outputting sound from a speaker or the like not shown under the control of the control unit 10. Also, the facial expression presentation unit 14 in FIG. 2 will be described later.

[0019] [2. Processing flow] The flow of processing in which the robot 1 temporarily turns its gaze toward a detected person will be described below step by step with reference to Figures 1 and 3. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing according to this embodiment.

[0020] (Step S101) In step S101, the traveling unit 13 starts the movement of the robot 1, and for example, the robot 1 travels along a basic route input in advance to the robot 1. It is assumed that the line of sight of the robot 1 faces the traveling direction while the robot 1 moves. In other words, the line of sight presentation unit 11 controls the line of sight of the robot 1 to face the traveling direction. It is assumed that the robot 1 continues to move in the following steps as well.

[0021] (Step S102) Next, in step S102, the control unit 10 determines whether the human detection unit 12 has detected a human. Note that the control unit 10 may determine that the human detection unit 12 has detected a human when the human detection unit 12 detects a human within a predetermined range based on the robot 1. In other words, if the human detection unit 12 detects the presence of a human, but the human is not within a predetermined range based on the robot 1 or is not within a predetermined distance, the control unit 10 may treat it as if the human detection unit 12 has not detected a human. If the control unit 10 determines that the human detection unit 12 has detected a human, the control unit 10 subsequently executes the process of step S103; otherwise, the determination process of step S102 is repeated until a human is detected.

[0022] (Step S103) In step S103, the gaze presentation unit 11 performs processing to direct the gaze direction of the robot 1 toward the person detected by the person detection unit 12 in step S102. Note that the gaze direction of the robot 1 toward the person may be made to follow the movement of the person relative to the robot 1.

[0023] (Step S104) Next, in step S104, the gaze presentation unit 11 performs a process of returning the gaze direction of the robot 1 to the original running direction. Note that, for example, when the robot 1 and a person pass each other, the process in this step may be performed after the robot 1 and the person pass each other, or may be performed before the robot 1 and the person pass each other. In other words, the process in this step may be performed while the person detection unit 12 is still detecting the person. In other words, when the person detection unit 12 detects a person while the robot 1 is running (moving), the control unit 10 may cause the gaze of the robot 1 to temporarily follow the person via the gaze presentation unit 11, and then turn the gaze of the robot 1 in the running direction.

[0024] According to the above configuration, the robot 1 follows the movement of the person by changing its line of sight, so that the person can continuously feel a sense of security during that time.

[0025] The processing of this step may be configured to be performed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the processing of the gaze presenting unit 11 directing the gaze direction of the robot 1 toward the person in step S103.

[0026] Alternatively, as an example, the processing of this step may be configured to be performed when the human detection unit 12 no longer detects a human, when the human detection unit 12 detects that a human passing by the robot 1 has accelerated, when the human detection unit 12 detects that a human has turned away from the robot 1, or when the angle of the robot 1's line of sight becomes greater than a predetermined value.

[0027] So far, we have explained the case where the object detected by robot 1 is a person as an example, but robot 1 may be configured to direct its gaze toward the object if the detected object is a person, or a combination of a person and an animal, and not direct its gaze toward the object if the detected object is not a person.

[0028] In this way, the robot 1 includes the running unit 13, and the control unit 10 directs the line of sight in the running direction while the running unit 13 is running (moving), and when the human detection unit 12 detects a person while running, the control unit 10 may temporarily direct the line of sight toward the person. With the above configuration, the robot 1 and people can pass each other more smoothly, as will be described later.

[0029] The above is the flow of processing based on the flowchart in Fig. 3. The timing at which the gaze presentation unit 11 directs the gaze direction of the robot 1 toward a person, an animal, or another object may be when the robot 1 is running or when it is stationary, as will be described later. Even when the robot 1 is performing a predetermined process, such as when it is conversing with a person or performing communication processing, whenever the human detection unit 12 detects an object, the gaze presentation unit 11 may temporarily direct the gaze direction of the robot 1 toward the object.

[0030] The effects of the robot 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 4. Each diagram in Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing how the robot 1 and a person 2 pass each other.

[0031] Here, diagram 401 in Fig. 4 shows the robot 1 passing by person 2 while directing its gaze in a random direction without performing the above-mentioned processing. Diagram 402 shows the robot 1 passing by person 2 while keeping its gaze directed in the direction of travel throughout the process without performing the above-mentioned processing. Diagram 403 shows the robot 1 passing by person 2 while temporarily directing its gaze at person 2, as described above.

[0032] In the configuration shown in diagram 401, person 2 is unsure of the direction in which robot 1 will move, and can be said to be anxious. Diagram 401 shows that person 2 keeps a distance from robot 1 for safety.

[0033] Furthermore, in the configuration shown in diagram 402, since robot 1 moves with its line of sight in the direction of travel, person 2 can easily recognize the direction in which robot 1 is traveling. However, person 2 is unsure whether robot 1 recognizes person 2 or not, and is concerned about the possibility of a collision if robot 1 approaches person 2, which can be said to be uneasy.

[0034] On the other hand, in the configuration according to this embodiment shown in explanatory diagram 403, it is easy for the person 2 to recognize the direction in which the robot 1 is moving. Furthermore, when the robot 1 momentarily turns its gaze towards the person 2 as they pass each other, the person 2 understands that the robot 1 has recognized them, which gives them peace of mind. Therefore, the robot 1 and person 2 can pass each other more smoothly, even in a narrow passage, for example. The effects of the robot 1 according to this embodiment have been described above with reference to FIG. 4.

[0035] Naturally, the robot 1 does not necessarily turn its gaze toward a person while moving. Even when the robot 1 is stationary, the control unit 10 can turn its gaze toward a person determined to have been detected by the person detection unit 12 via the gaze presentation unit 11, allowing the person to understand that they are being recognized and to feel a sense of security.

[0036] Furthermore, when the robot 1 and a person are facing each other directly, it is difficult for the person to determine whether the robot 1's gaze is directed toward the person or simply facing the direction of travel. Therefore, when the robot 1 is facing a person determined to have been detected by the person detection unit 12, the control unit 10 may direct its gaze toward the person via the gaze presentation unit 11 and then perform a specific action to make the person aware that it has been recognized. As an example, the control unit 10 may perform the specific action by controlling the facial expression presentation unit 14 (described later). The facial expression presentation unit 14 presents the eyes or face of the robot 1. The control unit 10 may, for example, be configured to cause the facial expression presentation unit 14 to close its eyes to express a bow, or to tilt the facial expression presentation unit 14 as if bowing toward the person, as the specific action. Alternatively, the control unit 10 may, for example, be configured to cause the facial expression presentation unit 14 to present a smile or another predetermined facial expression as the specific action.

[0037] As described above, the robot 1 according to this embodiment includes the gaze presentation unit 11 that presents a pseudo gaze of the robot 1, the human detection unit 12 that detects people around the robot 1, and the control unit 10 that temporarily directs the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit 11 toward the person detected by the human detection unit 12. The above configuration makes it possible to realize a robot 1 that can easily grasp recognition of people.

[0038] [Modification 1 of Embodiment 1] As described above, even when the robot 1 is stationary, that is, when it is not moving and is looking in any direction, it may temporarily turn its gaze toward a person or the like that it has determined to have detected.

[0039] As a specific example, if the robot 1 has a conversation function and is engaged in a conversation while looking at a first person, when the control unit 10 determines that the human detection unit 12 has detected a second person, the robot 1 may temporarily look at the second person and then look back at the first person.

[0040] In the process described in this modified example, the robot 1 does not move, so the robot 1 may not be provided with the running unit 13.

[0041] [Modification 2 of Embodiment 1] In step S103, the gaze presenting unit 11 may perform processing to direct the gaze direction of the robot 1 toward the eyes of the person detected by the person detecting unit 12 in step S102.

[0042] In this modification and modifications described later, human detection unit 12 includes a camera, and control unit 10 refers to an image captured by the camera. Control unit 10 may also estimate the timing at which the person detected by human detection unit 12 will direct their gaze toward the origin of the gaze presented by gaze presentation unit 11, and direct the gaze presented by gaze presentation unit 11 toward the eyes of the person detected by human detection unit 12 at the estimated timing.

[0043] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the origin of the gaze presented by the gaze presenting unit 11 means the eyes or face of the robot 1 presented by the facial expression presenting unit 14.

[0044] In other words, from another perspective of the configuration of this modified example, the control unit 10 predicts the trajectory of a person's gaze movement, and when it estimates that the eyes or face of the robot 1 are on the predicted trajectory of the gaze movement, the gaze presentation unit 11 controls the timing at which the person gazes at the robot's eyes or face and the timing at which the robot 1 gazes at the person's eyes to match.

[0045] Furthermore, the method by which the control unit 10 estimates the timing at which a person directs their gaze toward the eyes of the robot 1 is not particularly limited, and an existing method may be applied. An example of the technology related to the existing method is a technology that estimates a person's gaze and gaze point by measuring the appearance of the pupil, such as a technology used to estimate the wakefulness state of a driver when driving a vehicle, or a system response to a user using a virtual reality environment or a mixed reality environment. Furthermore, the person's gaze and gaze point may be estimated by machine learning from an image captured by a camera provided in the human detection unit 12.

[0046] In this way, by controlling the eyes of the robot 1 so that the robot 1 and the person both look away from each other and then synchronize their timing to make eye contact, it is expected that the effect of greatly increasing the other person's interest in the robot 1. Furthermore, when the state of eye contact between the robot 1 and the person continues for a certain period of time, the gaze presentation unit 11 can also convey specific information to the person by changing the pattern of the eyes or face, for example by winking, to express emotions.

[0047] [Modification 3 of Embodiment 1] In step S103, the gaze presentation unit 11 may perform processing to direct the gaze direction of the robot 1 toward a position that is estimated to be gazed by the person detected by the human detection unit 12 in step S102. The control unit 10 according to this modification is configured to estimate a direction in which the person detected by the human detection unit 12 is looking, and to direct the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit 11 toward the direction in which the person is looking. The method by which the control unit 10 estimates the person's gaze is as described above.

[0048] As a result, for example, if there is an obstacle in the path of the robot 1, when a person directs their gaze toward the obstacle, the robot 1 can easily convey to the person that it is aware of the obstacle by directing its gaze toward the obstacle. Also, when a person directs their gaze toward an object that they are operating, the robot 1 can easily convey to the person that it is aware of the object by directing its gaze toward the object.

[0049] In another embodiment, the robot 1 may be provided with a mechanism such as an arm, and may be configured to be able to grasp an object based on a human voice instruction or the like.

[0050] Conventionally, even if a person says to a robot, "Please get that for me," it is difficult for the robot to determine the object to grasp using voice recognition alone. Also, even if the person exchanges words such as "What is that?" and "It's a cup," the name of the object intended by the person does not necessarily match the name recognized by the robot.

[0051] On the other hand, with the configuration of the robot 1 described above, the robot 1 can recognize an object by detecting the gaze point of the other person, and by gazing at the same object and responding by saying "I'll take that," it can confirm the object to be grasped before starting the action. Also, even if the name of the object does not match between the person and the robot 1 or is unknown to the robot 1, mutual understanding of the target object can be improved by exchanging gaze actions.

[0052] The direction of the robot 1's gaze may be an object pointed to by a person with their hand, finger, or gesture. From another perspective, the human detection unit 12 may detect a person around the robot 1, the control unit 10 may estimate an object pointed to by the detected person with a finger or the like, and the control unit 10 may control the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit 11 to be directed toward the estimated object. The method by which the control unit 10 estimates an object pointed to by the detected person with a finger or the like is not particularly limited, and an existing method may be applied. An example of a technology related to the existing method is a technology for detecting the direction of a person's finger, such as motion capture. Furthermore, the direction pointed to by the detected person with a finger or the like may be estimated by machine learning from an image captured by a camera provided in the human detection unit 12. The control unit 10 may estimate an object present in the estimated direction as the object pointed to by the detected person with a finger or the like.

[0053] [Fourth Modification of First Embodiment] In step S103, when the robot 1 turns its gaze direction toward the detected person, if the control unit 10 estimates that the person is approaching the robot 1 or that the person is directing their gaze toward the robot 1 as described above, the robot 1 may be configured to stop moving, turn its body toward the person, and communicate with the person by greeting, etc. Furthermore, if the human detection unit 12 subsequently detects that the person has moved away from the robot 1, the robot 1 may be configured to resume its original movement.

[0054] The configurations in the above-described modifications can also be applied to the following embodiments.

[0055] [Embodiment 2] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Figs. 4 to 7. For ease of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated. This also applies to the following embodiments. In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which a robot not only directs its gaze toward a person but also displays facial expressions.

[0056] [1. Configuration of Robot 1a] The configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram of a robot 1a according to this embodiment.

[0057] The robot 1a is configured to further include a facial expression display unit 14 in addition to the components of the robot 1 shown in FIG. 1. The facial expression display unit 14 displays simulated facial expressions of the robot 1a. The configuration in which the facial expression display unit 14 is implemented is not limited to a specific configuration. For example, the facial expression display unit 14 may include components representing parts such as the mouth of the robot 1a, and the operation of displaying the simulated facial expressions of the robot 1a may be implemented by a configuration in which the components are physically movable. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation of displaying the facial expression by the facial expression display unit 14 may be implemented by changing the facial expression displayed on the display, i.e., by changing the position or orientation of the mouth or other parts. In the above configuration, the display may be interpreted as implementing the mechanism of the facial expression display unit 14, or the mechanism of the facial expression display unit 14 and the gaze display unit 11. Alternatively, the facial expression display unit 14, or the mechanism of the facial expression display unit 14 and the gaze display unit 11 may be interpreted as comprising a display, either individually or jointly. Furthermore, the facial expressions that the facial expression display unit 14 can display are not particularly limited, and may include, for example, expressions of joy, relief, anger, sadness, etc.

[0058] [2. Processing flow] Hereinafter, a process in which the robot 1a turns its gaze toward a detected person and also displays a facial expression will be described step by step with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process according to this embodiment.

[0059] (Steps S101 and S102) In steps S101 and S102, the same processes as in embodiment 1 are performed. If the control unit 10 determines in step S102 that the human detection unit 12 has detected a human, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0060] (Step S203) In step S203, the gaze presenting unit 11 performs processing to direct the gaze direction of the robot 1a toward the person detected by the person detecting unit 12 in step S102. Then, the facial expression presenting unit 14 performs processing to change the facial expression of the robot 1a and present it to the person. Note that the gaze direction of the robot 1a toward the person may be made to follow the movement of the person relative to the robot 1a.

[0061] (Step S204) Next, in step S204, the gaze presenting unit 11 performs the same process as in step S104, that is, a process of returning the gaze direction of the robot 1a to the original running direction. Then, the facial expression presenting unit 14 performs a process of returning the facial expression of the robot 1a to the original facial expression. However, if the facial expression presented to the person in step S203 is particularly a smiling face, it is more preferable that the smiling face be present while the human detection unit 12 detects, for example, that a person is near the robot 1a.

[0062] The above is the flow of processing based on the flowchart in Fig. 6. As described above, the robot 1a according to this embodiment includes the facial expression presentation unit 14 that presents simulated facial expressions of the robot 1a, and the control unit 10 changes the facial expression presented by the facial expression presentation unit 14 when the robot 1a temporarily turns its line of sight toward a person detected by the person detection unit 12.

[0063] The effects of the robot 1a according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 7. Each diagram in Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing how the robot 1a passes by a person 2.

[0064] As an example, diagram 701 in Fig. 7 shows a state in which robot 1a looks at person 2 as it passes by and displays a smiling face. Diagram 702 shows a state in which robot 1a looks at person 2 as it passes by and displays a confused face. The configurations shown in diagrams 701 and 702 provide the following effects in addition to the effects described above with reference to diagram 403 in Fig. 4 in the first embodiment.

[0065] The configuration shown in the explanatory diagram 701 has the effect of making the person 2 feel closer to the robot 1a. The explanatory diagram 701 shows the state in which the person 2 gets closer to the robot 1a.

[0066] In the configuration shown in diagram 702, it can be assumed that the person 2, for example, the robot 1a, is anticipating a collision with the person 2. Diagram 702 shows the state in which the person 2 keeps a distance from the robot 1a for safety. The effects of the robot 1a according to this embodiment have been described above with reference to FIG. 7.

[0067] The robot 1a does not necessarily have to direct its gaze toward people and display facial expressions while moving. Even when the robot 1a is stationary, the control unit 10 can direct its gaze toward a person determined to have been detected by the person detection unit 12 via the gaze display unit 11 and display a facial expression via the facial expression display unit 14, thereby providing the person with a sense of security and enjoyment.

[0068] Furthermore, the robot 1a may determine the facial expression to be displayed depending on its own condition, such as the remaining battery level. For example, if the remaining battery level is sufficient, the robot 1a may display a smiling face to a person, and if not, a troubled face. In the above configuration, a person can easily grasp the remaining battery level of the robot 1a depending on the displayed facial expression.

[0069] [Embodiment 3] A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Figs. 8 to 10. In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which a robot guides a person to face the robot directly and measures the person's biological information.

[0070] [1. Configuration of Robot 1b] The configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram of a robot 1b according to this embodiment.

[0071] Robot 1b is configured to further include a measurement unit 15 in addition to the components of robot 1a shown in FIG. 5. Measurement unit 15 measures the biometric information of a person detected by human detection unit 12 in a non-contact manner using a method such as laser measurement. As shown in FIG. 9, measurement unit 15 analyzes an image captured by a camera provided in human detection unit 12 to identify the person's head and measure the body temperature at the head. In addition, in FIG. 9, object 20 indicates the position of robot 1a. The arc portion of object 21 indicates the surface of the person's foot measured by a laser, and the circle portion indicates the position of the person's foot. Object 22 indicates the surface of a facility wall measured by a laser.

[0072] Note that the biological information measured by the measurement unit 15 is not limited to body temperature. For example, the measurement unit 15 may be configured to include a Doppler sensor and measure the heart rate or the like, or may measure facial color or the like. Furthermore, the measurement by the measurement unit 15 may be configured to use machine learning. Furthermore, in the above configuration, for example, the measurement unit 15 may perform face recognition to identify a detected person and perform measurements according to the person.

[0073] In addition, the control unit 10 according to this embodiment has the function of determining whether the direction of a person's gaze is directed toward the robot 1b and whether at least the person's head is directed toward the robot 1b, for example, by referring to the analysis results of the captured image by the measurement unit 15.

[0074] [2. Processing flow] The process of measuring biological information of a detected person by the robot 1b will be described below step by step with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process according to this embodiment.

[0075] (Steps S101 and S102) In steps S101 and S102, the same processes as in embodiment 1 are performed. If the control unit 10 determines in step S102 that the human detection unit 12 has detected a human, the process proceeds to step S303.

[0076] (Step S303) In step S303, the line-of-sight presentation unit directs the line-of-sight direction of the robot 1b toward the person detected by the person detection unit 12 in step S102, and performs processing to return the robot 1b to its original running direction.

[0077] (Step S304) In step S304, the control unit 10 determines whether the line of sight or the direction of travel of the person is directed toward the robot 1b. If the control unit 10 determines that at least one of the line of sight or the direction of travel is directed toward the robot 1b, the control unit 10 subsequently executes the process of step S305. On the other hand, if the control unit 10 determines that neither the line of sight nor the direction of travel is directed toward the robot 1b, the control unit 10 subsequently executes the process of step S307.

[0078] (Step S305) In step S305, the gaze presenting unit performs a process of directing the gaze direction of the robot 1b toward the eyes of the person. In step S305, the control unit 10 may output a voice message such as a greeting through a speaker (not shown), as shown in FIG.

[0079] (Step S306) In step S306, the control unit 10 determines whether the gaze direction of the person is directed toward the eyes of the robot 1b, in other words, whether eye contact has been established between the person and the robot 1b. If the control unit 10 determines that the gaze direction of the person is directed toward the eyes of the robot 1b, it subsequently executes the process of step S308, and if it determines that the gaze direction is not directed toward the eyes of the robot 1b, it subsequently executes the process of step S307.

[0080] It is possible to guide the person's gaze and posture using a configuration other than the gaze of robot 1b, for example, using voice, but a configuration using the gaze of robot 1b can intuitively guide the person to maintain or release their gaze, and is particularly likely to give the person a sense of trust.

[0081] (Step S307) In step S307, the control unit 10 determines whether the total number of times the determination process in step S304 or the total number of times the determination process in step S306 has been performed has reached a predetermined number. Here, the total number can be expressed as the total number of times transitions have occurred to the target step. If the control unit 10 determines that either of the total numbers has reached the predetermined number, the process from step S101 is repeated. If the control unit 10 determines that neither of the total numbers has reached the predetermined number, the process from step S303 is repeated.

[0082] It is desirable that the predetermined number of times to be compared with the total number of times the determination process has been performed in step S304 and the predetermined number of times to be compared with the total number of times the determination process has been performed in step S306 are different from each other.

[0083] (Step S308) In step S308, the control unit 10 causes at least the head of the robot 1b to face the person.

[0084] (Step S309) In step S309, the control unit 10 determines whether or not at least the head of the person is facing the direction directly facing the robot 1b. If the control unit 10 determines that at least the head of the person is facing the direction directly facing the robot 1b, the control unit 10 subsequently executes the process of step S310, and if it determines that the head is not facing the direction directly facing the robot 1b, the control unit 10 subsequently executes the process of step S312.

[0085] (Step S310) In step S310, the facial expression display unit changes the facial expression of robot 1b so that the person maintains a state in which they are facing robot 1b directly. The facial expression display unit may, for example, cause robot 1b to close its eyes to express a bow. The reason why the person maintains a state in which they are facing robot 1b directly is to satisfy, as much as possible, the requirements regarding the measurement time and measurement state in the measurement by measurement unit 15.

[0086] It is not essential that the robot 1b be provided with a facial expression display unit and that the process of step S310 be performed, and the process of step S310 may be omitted.

[0087] (Step S311) In step S311, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the state in which at least the head of the person is facing the direction directly facing the robot 1b is maintained. If the control unit 10 determines that the state is maintained, the process proceeds to step S313. If the control unit 10 determines that the state is not maintained, the process proceeds to step S312.

[0088] (Step S312) In step S312, the control unit 10 determines whether the total number of times the determination process in step S309 or the total number of times the determination process in step S311 has been performed has reached a predetermined number of times.

[0089] If the control unit 10 determines that any of the total numbers has reached a predetermined number, the process from step S101 is repeated. If the control unit 10 determines that none of the total numbers has reached a predetermined number, the process from step S309 is repeated.

[0090] It is preferable that the predetermined number of times compared with the total number of times the determination process has been performed in step S309 and the predetermined number of times compared with the total number of times the determination process has been performed in step S311 are different from each other.

[0091] (Step S313) In step S313, the measurement unit 15 measures the biological information of the person. Because the person is facing the robot 1b directly, the measurement unit 15 can measure the biological information more accurately than when the person is not facing the robot 1b. Furthermore, for example, the measurement unit 15 can measure asymmetrical changes in facial expression when part of the person's face is paralyzed, and can measure the temperature in certain areas of the face, such as the tip of the nose or around the mouth.

[0092] (Step S314) In step S314, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the measurement of the biological information of the person by the measurement unit 15 has been completed. If the control unit 10 determines that the measurement has been completed, the robot 1b is to resume patrolling, etc., and the process is resumed from step S101. If the control unit 10 determines that the measurement has not been completed, the control unit 10 continues the measurement by the measurement unit 15 and repeats the process from step S309.

[0093] In step S314, the control unit 10 may be configured to transmit information indicating the measurement result by the measurement unit 15 to an external device.

[0094] As described above, the robot 1b is provided with the measurement unit 15, which allows it to measure the biometric information of a person detected by the person detection unit 12. In addition, the control unit 10 temporarily directs the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit toward the person detected by the person detection unit 12, thereby guiding the person to face the robot 1b directly, which contributes to the measurement unit 15 measuring the biometric information more accurately.

[0095] [Software implementation example] The control block (particularly the control unit 10) of the robot 1 (1a, 1b) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

[0096] In the latter case, the robot 1 includes a computer that executes instructions from a program, which is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, one or more processors and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program. The object of the present invention is achieved when the processor in the computer reads and executes the program from the recording medium. The processor may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU). The recording medium may be a "non-transitory tangible medium," such as a read-only memory (ROM), tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, or programmable logic circuit. The robot may also include a random access memory (RAM) for storing the program. The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or broadcast waves). One aspect of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0097] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0098] 〔summary〕 A robot (1, 1a, 1b) according to a first aspect of the present invention is configured to include a gaze presentation unit (11) that presents a pseudo gaze of the robot, a human detection unit (12) that detects people around the robot, and a control unit (10) that temporarily directs the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit toward the person detected by the human detection unit. With the above configuration, a robot that can easily grasp recognition of people can be realized.

[0099] The robot according to aspect 2 of the present invention is the robot of aspect 1 described above, further comprising a running unit (13), and the control unit may be configured to direct the line of sight in the direction of travel while the running unit is running, and when the human detection unit detects a person while running, to temporarily direct the line of sight toward the person. This configuration allows the robot and people to pass each other more smoothly.

[0100] A robot according to a third aspect of the present invention may be configured in the second aspect above such that, when the human detection unit detects a person while the robot is running, the control unit temporarily causes the robot to follow the person's line of sight and then turns the line of sight in the direction of the robot's running. With the above configuration, the robot causes the line of sight to follow the movement of the person, allowing the person to continuously feel a sense of security during that time.

[0101] The robot according to aspect 4 of the present invention is any one of aspects 1 to 3 above, and further includes a facial expression display unit (14) that displays simulated facial expressions of the robot, and the control unit may be configured to change the facial expression displayed by the facial expression display unit when the line of sight is temporarily directed toward a person detected by the person detection unit. With the above configuration, a robot that can more easily grasp recognition of people can be realized.

[0102] The robot according to aspect 5 of the present invention may be configured in any one of aspects 1 to 4 above, further comprising a measurement unit (15) that measures biometric information of a person detected by the human detection unit. This configuration makes it possible to measure biometric information of a person detected by the human detection unit. Furthermore, the control unit guides the person to face the robot directly, which contributes to the measurement unit measuring the biometric information more accurately.

[0103] A robot according to a sixth aspect of the present invention may be configured in any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the control unit estimates a timing at which the person detected by the human detection unit will direct their gaze toward the origin of the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit, and directs the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit toward the eyes of the person detected by the human detection unit at the estimated timing. This configuration is expected to have the effect of significantly increasing the interest of the person in the robot.

[0104] A robot (1, 1a, 1b) according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is configured to include a gaze presentation unit (11) that presents a pseudo gaze of the robot, a human detection unit (12) that detects people around the robot, and a control unit (10) that directs the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit toward the direction of the gaze of the person detected by the human detection unit. With the above configuration, it is possible to easily convey that the robot recognizes an object at which the person is looking, for example.

[0105] The robot (1, 1a, 1b) according to aspect 8 of the present invention is configured to include a gaze presentation unit (11) that presents a pseudo-gaze of the robot, a human detection unit (12) that detects people around the robot, and a control unit (10) that directs the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit toward an object indicated by the person detected by the human detection unit. According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily convey that the robot recognizes an object that a person is pointing to, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1, 1a, 1b robot 2 people 10 Control Unit 11 Gaze presentation section 12 Human detection unit 13 Running part 14 Facial expression presentation section 15 Measurement section

Claims

1. A battery-operated robot, a gaze presentation unit that presents a pseudo gaze of the robot; a human detection unit that detects people around the robot; a control unit that temporarily directs the line of sight presented by the line of sight presentation unit toward the person detected by the person detection unit; a measuring unit that measures biological information of the person detected by the human detection unit; a facial expression display unit that displays a simulated facial expression of the robot; When the control unit temporarily directs the line of sight toward the person detected by the person detection unit, the control unit changes the facial expression presented by the facial expression presentation unit to a facial expression corresponding to a remaining battery level of the robot. A robot characterized by:

2. Further comprising a running section, The robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit directs the line of sight in the direction of travel while the traveling unit is traveling, and when the human detection unit detects a person while traveling, the control unit temporarily directs the line of sight toward the person.

3. The robot according to claim 2, wherein when the human detection unit detects a person while the robot is moving, the control unit temporarily causes the line of sight to follow the person and then turns the line of sight in the direction of movement.

4. 4. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit measures the body temperature or heart rate of the person detected by the human detection unit as the biometric information of the person.

5. The robot described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the control unit estimates the timing when the person detected by the human detection unit will direct their gaze toward the origin of the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit, and directs the gaze presented by the gaze presentation unit toward the eyes of the person detected by the human detection unit at the estimated timing.

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