Guide Robot Positioning and Gaze Control for Visitor Congestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Guidance robots face challenges in adapting to visitor presence, congestion, and concentration levels, leading to delayed or ineffective explanations and reduced engagement.
Innovation Solution
The guidance robot adjusts its location, posture, and gaze dynamically based on visitor information, including sensors like cameras and LiDAR, to optimize interaction and content delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the guidance robot moves to a pre-stored designated location to perform docent function, then the explanation can be provided at the target exhibition, but the robot may be unable to reach the location due to visitor presence or congestion, causing delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the designated location adaptive rather than fixed. The robot dynamically adjusts its target location based on real-time visitor detection and congestion assessment. When visitors are present or congestion is detected, the robot modifies the designated location to an alternative position where it can still provide effective guidance without being blocked, ensuring reliable operation and avoiding delays.
2Reliability
If the guidance robot requests visitors to step aside when recognizing them as obstacles, then the robot can reach the designated location, but this causes inconvenience to users
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making visitors move (traditional approach), the patent inverts the solution by making the robot adapt its location to the visitors. The robot detects visitor presence and congestion, then autonomously selects an alternative designated location where it can perform its function without obstructing or requiring visitors to move, thereby maintaining reliability while improving ease of operation for users.
3Extent of automation
If the guidance robot continues providing viewing guidance as stored even when visitors move away, then the robot maintains its programmed function, but this reduces engagement and focus
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring visitor presence and behavior during the docent function. The robot detects when visitors have moved away or left the area and uses this feedback information to autonomously terminate the explanation service. This closed-loop control ensures the robot maintains its programmed function while adapting to actual visitor engagement levels, preventing unnecessary continuation of service and maintaining high adaptability.
4Ease of operation
If the guidance robot uses a fixed designated location for docent function, then the operation is simple, but the robot cannot flexibly adjust to visitor characteristics such as number, gender, and age bracket
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the designated location parameter based on detected visitor characteristics. The robot analyzes visitor attributes such as number, gender, and age bracket, then adjusts the designated location parameters accordingly. This allows the system to maintain operational simplicity through automated parameter adjustment rather than complex manual reconfiguration, achieving both ease of operation and high adaptability to different visitor demographics.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances visitor engagement and comprehension by adapting to visitor dynamics, ensuring timely and focused explanations without unnecessary service continuation.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor for acquiring visitor information in the vicinity
Implementation Method 2
sensors like cameras and LiDAR
Implementation Method 3
sensors like cameras and LiDAR
Data Source
AI summary
A guide robot and an operation method of same are disclosed. A guide robot according to the present disclosure may, although having recognized a pre-stored designated position in order to perform a docent function, determine whether or not to modify the designated position on the basis of information on surrounding visitors, and even after having moved to the determined designated position, adjust a detailed position, posture, angle, and line of sight according to visitor information. In addition, a next operation may be determined on the basis of visitor information which is updated during an utterance about an object to be exhibited. Accordingly, a smarter docent service can be provided to a visitor.