Hexagonal Floor Robot Control for Omnidirectional Walking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing omnidirectional walking sense presentation apparatuses require complex control and large installation spaces due to their quadrangular design and need for multiple position detection sensors, resulting in high costs.
Innovation Solution
An information processing system comprising three movable bodies in the shape of regular hexagons, each equipped with pressure sensors, wheels, and a driving unit, controlled by an information processing apparatus to mimic walking motion and orientation, allowing for easy direction and speed adjustment based on user input, and integrated with a display device to generate stereoscopic video.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a quadrangular movable floor is used to enable omnidirectional movement, then the freedom of movement is improved, but the control complexity and installation space increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The movable floor is divided into three separate movable bodies (floor robots) arranged in a triangular configuration. Each floor robot is a simplified regular hexagon that can be independently controlled, replacing the single complex quadrangular movable floor. This segmentation reduces the control complexity while maintaining omnidirectional movement capability through coordinated operation of the three units.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a single large quadrangular movable floor that requires complex control, the invention inverts the approach by using three smaller regular hexagonal floor robots. The regular hexagon shape with six vertices provides inherent directional simplicity, and the triangular arrangement of three units collectively achieves omnidirectional coverage, simplifying individual unit control while maintaining system versatility.
2Measurement precision
If multiple position detection sensors are installed around the movable floor to detect walking orientation, then the measurement precision is improved, but the installation space and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each floor robot is equipped with pressure sensors that serve multiple functions: detecting the user's weight distribution, determining walking orientation, and controlling movement direction. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate position detection sensors around the movable floor, reducing installation space while maintaining measurement precision through the pressure sensor data from each user's foot placement.
3Ease of operation
If a regular hexagon shape is used for movable bodies, then the ease of control in walking direction is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the movable body from a quadrangular shape to a regular hexagon with six vertices. This parameter change provides inherent directional simplicity for control, as the six vertices naturally define six primary directions. The regular hexagon shape can be manufactured using standard fabrication processes, and the simplicity of the geometry actually reduces manufacturing complexity compared to custom-shaped quadrangular floors with integrated sensor arrays.
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
Enables easy control of movable bodies to match walking orientation, reducing complexity and cost while providing an immersive walking experience with synchronized virtual space video.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure sensor to detect a pressure applied to the upper surface when the walking person rides on the upper surface
Data Source
AI summary
Each of three floors is adjacent to the other two floor robots so that a position at which three vertices selected each from the three floor robots face each other is set as a central point, and an information processing apparatus includes a floor robot guidance unit to specify an advancing direction and a walking speed of a walking person based on pressures detected by the floor robots when the walking person walks, to move the three floor robots at the specified walking speed in an opposite direction to the specified advancing direction, to specify, as a target vertex, a vertex that can be determined to lie in the specified advancing direction, other than the three vertices, and rotate at least one of the three floor robots so that the position of the target vertex is set as a new central point.