The purpose of this study is to execute a beverage can opening task by an articulated versatile robot arm, which is often executed in our daily life. We generated beverage can opening trajectories for position controlled single robot arm and dual robot arm. We analyzed the humans' can opening operations and generated trajectories for opening the lid of beverage can. They are sequential rotational and translational motions for a single robot arm, and their concurrent cooperated motions for a dual robot arm. We confirmed that the beverage can opening operations by single and dual robot arms are successfully achieved based on our generated trajectories. Additionally, from the comparison of these two trajectories, we found out that the trajectory of the dual robot arm is robust and efficient. And, the configuration of the motions of single and dual robot arms is different, but operations to the beverage can by each robot arm are essentially the same.

In this research, we develop user-oriented RT service proposal system in Kukanchi. Kukanchi is interactive Human-Space Design and Intelligence. By carrying out data mining of user information, service history, sensor data, and object data, this system finds out those relationships and gives weight to each of them. As a result of experiment, this system came to be able to propose “Tsuide Service” (Additional RT service) that each user expects.

This paper proposes an object placement planner for a grasped object during pick-and-place tasks. The proposed planner automatically determines the pose of an object stably placed near a user assigned point on an environment surface. The proposed method first constructs a polygon model of the surrounding environment, and then clusters the polygon model of both the environment and the object where each cluster is approximated by a planar region. The placement of the object can be determined by selecting a pair of clusters between the object and the environment. We further impose several conditions to determine the pose of the object placed on the environment. We show that we can determine the position/orientation of the object placed on the environment for several cases such as hanging a mug cup on a bar. The effectiveness of the proposed research is confirmed through several numerical examples.

This paper describes a method to localize 3D objects, which is the extension of the segment-based object recognition method to use on a STL CAD model. Models for localization are automatically generated using contour generators, which are estimated by occluding contours of projected images of the CAD model from multiple viewing directions and depth images computed with a graphics accelerator. In addition, the model is dynamically updated in a recognition process according to the viewing direction. Localization process is based onmultiple hypotheses verification using the model and 3D boundaries reconstructed from stereo images. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

This paper describes a method to localize objects which are partially buried in an unstructured environment. The objects are limited to surfaces of revolution in the present study. Candidate regions are extracted as convex surface regions from a range data that is obtained by area-based stereo matching. The surface type at each point is determined based on the signs of the maximum and minimum curvatures, which are calculated by fitting a quadric in the local window. For each candidate region, multiple hypotheses for the position and direction of the rotational axis are generated for each object model. Each hypothesis is verified and improved by an iterative method, and the most reliable hypothesis is adopted. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for actual range data.

We have developed the person following robot "ApriAttenda(TM)". This robot can accompany a person using vision based target detection and avoid obstacles with ultrasonic sensors. The robot first identifies an individual with its image processing system by detecting a person's region and recognizing the registered color and texture of his/her clothes. Our newly developed algorithm allows the robot to extract a particular individual from a cluttered background, and to find and reconnect with the person if it loses visual contact. Tracking people with vision was realized by systematizing visual and motion control with a robust algorithm that utilizes various characteristics of the image data. ApriAttenda(TM) has been exhibited at Aichi EXPO 2005, and its robust functions and smooth person following capability were successfully demonstrated.

We have developed the person following robot "ApriAttendatrade". This robot can accompany a person using vision based target detection and avoid obstacles with ultrasonic sensors while following the person. The robot first identifies an individual with its image processing system by detecting a person's region and recognizing the registered color and texture of his/her clothes. Usually, the person following robot has to detect and recognize the specified person and calculate his/her position in a complicated real-life environment of fixed objects and moving people. Our newly developed algorithm allows the robot to extract a particular individual from a cluttered background, and to find and reconnect with the person if it loses visual contact. Tracking people with stereo vision was realized by systematizing visual and motion control with a robust algorithm that utilizes various characteristics of the image data. The developed algorithm uses several analyses to extract information on the distance to each feature point, speed of target, color and texture of clothes for a stable tracking in many situations including changes of view due to self motion, shifts in lighting and objects similar to the target. The person following robot ApriAttendatrade has been exhibited at Aichi EXPO 2005, and its robust functions and smooth person following capability were successfully demonstrated

This paper proposes a method for a humanoid robot to generate 3D model of the environment using a stereo vision, find a movable space using it and plan feasible locomotion online. The model is generated by an accumulation of 3D grid maps which are made from the range data of the field of view obtained by a correlation based stereo vision. The locomotion is planned by an online whole body pattern generator which can modify robot’s waist height, an upper body posture and so on according to the size of the movable space.

We have proposed a concept of a robotic information home appliance corresponding to one category of home robots, and developed ApriAlpha, a concept model of the robotic information home appliance. ApriAlpha is a wheel locomotion type human friendly home robot which controls advanced home appliances, standing between their users and them as a voice controlled information terminal, and offers security and information services to users. We have integrated various robot technologies such as voice communication, image recognition, planning and motion control on ApriAlpha, and we have introduced a framework of the distributed object technology based open robot controller architecture (ORCA), which we are currently developing in view of its easy extension and efficient development. This paper describes the proposed robotic information home appliance and its concept model, ApriAlpha. The functions of the developed robot are confirmed by performing several demonstrations, and the merit of applying the framework of ORCA to the home robot controller is also confirmed through its development.

We propose a new method to recognize 3D free-form objects from their apparent contours. It is the extension of our established method to recognize objects with fixed edges. Object models are compared with 3D boundaries which are extracted by segment-based stereo vision. Based on the local shapes of the boundaries, candidate transformations are generated. The candidates are verified and adjusted based on the whole shapes of the boundaries. The models are built from all-around range data of the objects. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the method.

We developed a robot system which can play one-on-one volleyball games with a human player. It can not only hit a flying ball back to the player correctly but also have various autonomous functionalities to interact with humans necessary for playing games, i.e., it can pick up a ball of a requested color by recognizing voice instructions, can locate the players by recognizing their faces, and can shake hands. This robot performed the entire game sequence over 100 times at a company-sponsored exhibition, where the ball rally continued over 25 times with an arbitrary player. In this paper, we mainly describe the real-time visual feedback system of the robot which is essential for playing ball games.

We are developing an advanced 3D vision system VVV (Versatile Volumetric Vision) which can be used for many purposes in many fields; robotics, medical and welfare, CAD, VR, etc. The basic processes of 3D vision are range sensing of a 3D scene, describing 3D shape of objects in the scene, and recognizing the 3D position and orientation of objects by matching with object models. Also, moving objects can be tracked by repeating these processes. For the system to be versatile, it consistently executes these processes and makes no assumption on objects; objects may be any size, any shape (figures, polyhedra to free forms), covered with textured or glossy surfaces, at any position, in any direction, together with other objects, and partially occluded by them. The basic technical approach is structural analysis and partial pattern matching. And, the basic policy of development is to separate "functions" which are common to all tasks and "knowledges" which are specific to each task.

This paper presents a force controlled robot system for grinding, chamfering and polishing in machining plants. To facilitate easy operations, a task-oriented robot language and a force control method for following the edges of workpieces have been developed. In the task-oriented robot language, a task is declared first by a task name, a tool code and a tool center point. The tool center point is a position in contact with a workpiece. These indexes and the force control motion command determine the parameters for the force control of the robot. The workpieces for grinding, chamfering, and polishing almost always differ their setting positions, their sizes and/or their shapes, even when the workpieces are the same parts in a machine. To cope with the workpiece difference, a tool moment control method, a skip function, and a round function have been developed. Experiments on chamfering of the edges of a part in an injection molding machine are reported.

As an initial stage in the realization of an autonomous robot system for the construction of overhead distribution lines, we have developed an experimental setup with a task planner to install a power switchgear model on a mock-up utility pole. When an operator inputs a task level command of a standard installation task to the system, the task planner generates robot control commands to perform the desired task automatically by referring to the environment and the task knowledge database. The robot then moves and executes the specified task according to the control commands that have been generated. We have verified in the experimental setup that, using the developed task planner a number of typical task for installation of the power switchgear model can be performed smoothly with a small amount of assistance from the operator.

For part III, see ibid., pp. 1237-1244. A simple stiffness control method for a seven-degree-of-freedom redundant robot arm is presented. The method is very practical method for application to a real robot system. The robot arm is able to move compliantly by this method without heavy computation. The method uses the transpose of the Jacobian matrix to transform the end-point forces into the joint torques for force feedback, but does not require either inverse of the Jacobian matrix or solution of the kinematic equation. Also, the method uses the "joints potential" but does not require pseudo-inverse of the Jacobian matrix to keep the configuration of an arm even if the arm is redundant. The authors have applied this control method to their dual experimental robot arms. Both arms are anthropomorphic and have seven degrees of freedom except for the one degree of freedom of the gripper and are part of the model-based remote maintenance robot system TAROS (Toshiba Advanced Robot System). The arms were able to carry out compliantly such tasks as turning a crank or fastening a bolt and to grope on the surface of the work object and locate the positions of holes.

For part I, see ibid., pp.1225-1230. The authors are developing a model-based remote maintenance robot system which autonomously carried out maintenance tasks in nuclear facilities, for example nuclear power plants and nuclear fusion reactors. Two measurements methods for the robot system are described: one is a laser range finder, and the other is a groping method for the target tasks of inserting a bolt and setting a nut. In the groping method, an arm with a bolt gropes on the flange surface, and a rapid change in the force signal is detected when the bolt tip comes across a hole. Position measurements are made by the joint angles in groping. Therefore, it has the same merit as direct teaching in industrial robots. The robot system has carried out inserting a bolt and setting a nut on a flange by using these methods.

Describes the outline of a model-based remote maintenance robot system for nuclear facilities such as nuclear power plants and nuclear fusion reactors. This robot system aims at autonomously carrying out maintenance tasks which the operator directs by task-level commands, for example, "set flange" and "set valve". This robot system is composed of a device for measuring the position of the object to be handled, a task planner which generates the robot control program from the task-level command, and an arm controller which moves the arm under either position or stiffness control according to the generated program. In experiments, the robot system carried out the insertion of a bolt and the setting of a nut on a flange.

For part II, see ibid., pp. 1231-1236. Introduces a task planner for the model-based remote maintenance robot system called TAROS (Toshiba Advanced Robot System). TAROS's task planner has a task knowledge database describing procedures for performing the desired tasks and an environmental knowledge database describing geometrical characteristics and arrangement data for the objects to be handled. These data are represented by frames. When the operator inputs a task command, the task planner generates robot control programs automatically by referring to the databases. In the task planning, even though object's position or orientation data in the environmental knowledge database include errors, suitable motions are selected from the task knowledge database according to the number of errors, and executed. Thus a desired task can be performed easily without making a detailed robot control program in which the object's position and orientation errors are taken into consideration. It was verified that the fastening and loosening operations for a nut and a flange bolt were performed autonomously by using the task planner of TAROS.

A new approach to integrate range data from multiple viewpoints is described. Complicated objects, for example flowers, are observed by a range finder from multiple viewpoints whose relative position is unknown. After simple segmentation, correspondences of regions between two consecutive data are examined. This matching process relies on regions which are not supposed to be influenced by occlusion. Transformation parameters between two data are calculated by referring to the matching result. An iteration process to minimize difference estimates of corresponding regions is devised so that a more accurate result is obtained. Data observed from multiple viewpoints are transferred to standard coordinates and integrated. Results on some objects, for example flowers, show that so far that this method is promising.>