Robotic Kitchen Arm Trajectory Prediction for Safe User Intervention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing smart kitchen technologies fail to provide a safe environment for user intervention in cooking, as they lack a mechanism to predict and prevent contact with robot arms, leading to potential accidents and limiting the user's ability to fully enjoy cooking experiences.

Innovation Solution

A robotic kitchen system that includes a computer-controlled cooking arm with sensors and attachments, capable of learning user actions and predicting user movements to safely collaborate in cooking tasks, allowing users to intervene while ensuring safety through controlled movement and task sharing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the robot arm operates autonomously to automate cooking, then productivity is improved, but safety deteriorates due to potential contact with the user

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooking automationVSAvoiduser safety
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by detecting the user's position and predicting movement trajectories before the robot arm executes its cooking movements. The control unit calculates potential contact points in advance and adjusts the robot arm's path proactively, preventing contact before it occurs. This allows the robot to maintain high-speed autonomous operation while ensuring user safety through advance planning and adjustment of its movement trajectory.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the robot arm moves quickly to enable speedy cooking, then productivity is improved, but safety deteriorates as the user cannot react in time to avoid contact

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooking speedVSAvoiduser safety
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously receives feedback from image recognition data about the user's position and movement, and from sensors detecting the robot arm's state. The control unit processes this feedback in real-time, calculating the user's movement trajectory and predicting future positions. Based on this feedback loop, the system dynamically adjusts the robot arm's speed and trajectory to maintain safe distances, allowing high-speed operation without compromising safety.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If the user is allowed to intervene in cooking to enjoy the cooking experience, then ease of operation is improved, but safety deteriorates due to increased risk of contact with the robot arm

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser intervention capabilityVSAvoiduser safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

When user intervention is detected or anticipated, the system performs preliminary actions by calculating the user's movement trajectory and predicting potential contact points before the robot arm moves. The control unit proactively adjusts the robot arm's path and speed based on these predictions, creating a safe interaction zone. This allows the user to freely intervene in the cooking process while the system maintains safety through advance trajectory planning and real-time path adjustment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3865032B1Food preparation system, method for controlling food preparation system, and program
Publication Date: 2023.03.29 SONY GROUP CORP
  • EP3865032B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3865032B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3865032B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present technology relates to a cooking system, a method for controlling a cooking system, and a program that enable a user to enjoy the pleasure and happiness of cooking by safely providing novel cooking experiences. A state of a cooking space is detected, a dangerous area for a user in the cooking space is detected on the basis of a cooking process and the state of the cooking space, and the detected dangerous area is indicated in the cooking space. The present technology can be applied to a system kitchen having a robotic function.