Mobile Robot Safety Control for Infant Interaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety-conscious action control methods for robots do not effectively enable interaction with subjects requiring attention, such as infants, while ensuring safety, as they fail to account for the relationship with the action subject and do not allow for controlled interactions that prioritize the subject's safety and engagement.
Innovation Solution
A device equipped with a camera, microphone, driving mechanism, memory, and processor that determines the presence of a subject person and controls the device's movement to stop or initiate interaction based on predetermined content, allowing for safe and engaging interactions by rotating, speaking, and displaying facial expressions or movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot approaches the infant to increase interaction, then interaction opportunities increase, but the risk of collision and harm to the infant increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot dynamically adjusts its movement behavior based on real-time detection of the infant's state. When the infant is detected to be in a vulnerable state (falling, excited, or in close proximity), the robot automatically modifies its movement parameters to reduce speed or stop, thereby maintaining interaction opportunities while minimizing collision risk
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the infant's state through cameras and sensors, and uses this feedback to adjust the robot's behavior. The control device receives real-time information about the infant's position and state, and dynamically modifies movement commands to ensure safety while preserving interaction
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the robot stops movement to ensure safety, then collision risk decreases, but interaction opportunities decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The robot applies partial stopping behavior rather than complete immobilization. It selectively stops or reduces speed only when necessary based on infant state detection, while maintaining movement capability for normal interaction scenarios, thus balancing safety with interaction opportunities
3Measurement precision
If the robot uses high-speed processing to detect infant state, then response accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and prioritizes only the most critical detection tasks relevant to infant safety and interaction, such as detecting fall states, excitement levels, and proximity. By focusing on essential detection functions rather than comprehensive analysis, the system achieves high response accuracy while managing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a camera, a microphone, a driving mechanism, and a memory. The processor determines whether or not a first person appears in a video acquired by the camera, or whether or not speech of the first person is included in a sound acquired by the microphone, when the driving mechanism is to start driving in accordance with predetermined content executed by the device. The first person being a subject person requiring predetermined attention when the device makes contact therewith. The processor determines whether or not the device is moving, when the first person appears in the video, or when the speech of the first person is included in the sound. The processor controls the driving mechanism to stop movement of the device, when the device is moving.