Autonomous Mobile Robot Gesture Feedback for User Awareness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices lack effective non-verbal cues to enhance user interaction and safety in environments where autonomous mobile robots coexist with humans, particularly in providing acknowledgement and feedback during tasks.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous mobile robot equipped with a moveable component that performs gestures, such as tilting and panning, to simulate nodding or head shaking, acknowledging user presence and processing status, while also utilizing sensors and network connections for task execution and user identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous mobile robots are deployed to perform tasks in human environments, then task efficiency and automation level are improved, but user awareness of robot presence and robot awareness of user presence is insufficient leading to safety and interaction issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the robot detects user presence through sensors (microphones, cameras, sensors) and provides non-verbal cues through a moveable component that performs gestures such as nodding or head shaking. This feedback loop ensures both user awareness of robot presence and robot awareness of user presence, resolving the information loss issue while maintaining high automation levels.
2Ease of operation
If the robot remains stationary to provide non-verbal cues, then user interaction and safety are improved, but task execution efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the robot into a stationary base and a moveable component. The moveable component can independently perform gestures for user interaction while the base remains stationary, allowing task execution to continue without interruption. This segmentation enables simultaneous task execution and user interaction, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and productivity.
3Device complexity
If the robot uses verbal communication only, then interaction simplicity is maintained, but interaction effectiveness and user experience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges verbal communication with non-verbal gestures through the moveable component. The combination of auditory (verbal) and visual (gestures) communication channels enhances interaction effectiveness and user experience while maintaining relatively simple device complexity. The moveable component adds visual cues that complement verbal communication, creating a more effective interaction system.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot operating in an environment provides cues to users. These cues provide information to the user as to operation of the robot. Some cues may involve physical movement of at least a portion of the robot. For example, as the robot passes a user, the robot may tilt a display head up and down to simulate a nodding motion. The cues may comprise one or more motions of one or more parts of the robot. The cues may also comprise visual output, such as graphics, pictures, text, and so forth, being presented on a display device of the robot, or changing the color or brightness of a light. In some implementations, the cues may include audio output, such as sounds.