Interactive Robot Eye Pupil Size Adjustment for Distance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Voice interaction devices in interactive robots do not adjust their behavior in response to changes in distance from the conversation partner, leading to a sense of unfriendliness.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a distance measurement unit and an eye control unit that adjust the size of the pupils displayed on a display unit based on the measured distance between the robot and the conversation partner, with larger pupils displayed when closer and smaller when farther, to create a more engaging and natural-like interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the interactive robot maintains a fixed pupil size on the display unit, then the device structure remains simple, but the conversation partner experiences a sense of unfriendliness when distance changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of pupil size based on measured distance. The eye control unit dynamically changes the display parameters of the pupils on the display unit according to the distance information from the distance measurement unit, making the robot's eyes adapt to varying distances rather than remaining static.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where the distance measurement unit continuously monitors the distance between the robot and conversation partner, and this information is fed back to the eye control unit which adjusts the pupil size accordingly. This closed-loop control enables the robot to respond appropriately to distance changes.
2Ease of operation
If the interactive robot adjusts pupil size based on distance, then user affinity and natural interaction improve, but the device complexity increases due to additional control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The display unit serves multiple functions: it displays the robot's eyes and dynamically adjusts pupil size based on distance. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve natural-looking eye behavior without adding separate mechanical components for pupil control, thereby reducing overall device complexity while improving interaction quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces potential mechanical pupil adjustment mechanisms with a display-based solution. Instead of physically changing pupil size through mechanical means, the system uses the display unit to render pupils of varying sizes, achieving the same visual effect through electronic control and graphical rendering.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the robot uses a display unit to show eyes with adjustable pupils, then the sense of unfriendliness is reduced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a visual copy of eyes on the display unit rather than using physical eyes. The display unit renders graphical representations of eyes with pupils that can be dynamically adjusted in size. This copying approach simplifies manufacturing compared to building mechanical eye structures while achieving the desired adaptability to distance changes.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a voice interaction device capable of reducing a sense of unfriendliness given to a conversation partner. The voice interaction device is incorporated in an interactive robot. The voice interaction device includes a display unit disposed at positions of eyes of the interactive robot and configured to display the eyes of the interactive robot; a distance measurement unit configured to measure a distance between the interactive robot and the conversation partner; and an eye control unit configured to set a size of each of pupils of the interactive robot displayed on the display unit when the distance measured by the distance measurement unit is less than a predetermined distance to be larger than a size of each of the pupils displayed on the display unit when the measured distance is equal to or more than the predetermined distance.