In this paper, a novel approach of knowledge management for the space/location perceiving capacity of robots is proposed. First, the ubiquitous function services composed of smart object, smart logic, and smart discovery service are proposed in order to distribute knowledge flexibly and reliably to changing environment and also for a robot to invoke and merge the distributed knowledge more freely. Next, physical and virtual spaces are merged by RFID tags. Through this, it is shown that ambient intelligence is realized and the space localization and mapping problem of robots can be more easily solved. Finally, the experiment based on an example scenario is carried out to verify the proposed method in the informative space named u-RT space which has two kinds of RFID tags, a virtual space with ubiquitous function services realized by Web services, and a networked robot system which works in these spaces

In this paper, we employ Web services, programmable application logic accessible using standard Internet protocol, to enable a robot to access the distributed application logic based on the recent network technologies like XML, SOAP, WSDL, UDDI. Applications can communicate with each other in a platform and programming language independent manner. We first discuss a ubiquitous control platform based on ubiquitous functions to allow a robot the infinitive freedom of movement and knowledge acquirement. We then explain the fundamental ubiquitous functions management framework for a robot. In this framework, the applications are constructed from multiple Web services that work together to provide data and services for the application. Finally, the proposed scheme is applied to the control of the knowledge distributed robot system.

We propose a collaborative knowledge network that we call omniscient spaces in the attempt to generate sophisticated robotic behavior with minimal programming effort. New products are manufactured and brought into our daily life everyday. Robots should need a way to easily integrate new products into their existing recognizable environments. Radio frequency identification gains increasing attention to support context and ambient awareness in dynamically changing environments. To solve robot programming difficulties in our environments, the collaborative knowledge network connects heterogeneous knowledge resources to collectively build up the robot's knowledge required to accomplish a task. Specifically, a decentralized knowledge acquisition and task specific integration model is proposed, where the proposed knowledge integrator merges specific knowledge with existing knowledge into a task requiring knowledge. For this, manufacturers put their product data tailored to plan robot motions online and robots may access the data without authorization. In this work, the best possible scenario under current technological limitations is proposed for real world robot applications. A detailed analysis of the knowledge flow model is described. To verify the validity of the proposed model, a test bed is built and table clearing task is performed according to the distributed knowledge management framework.

Remote control of microrobotic workstations dedicated to microassembly of hybrid MEMS consisting of several separate components are necessary. The operator controls the motion of the microrobots remotely on the motion level. In the future view of industrial applications, these approaches are not suitable. We proposed a concept of a desktop micro device factory for task-level remote control using the combination of vision servoing techniques and virtual reality (VR) environment. It is composed of two micromanipulators equipped with micro tools operating under a light microscope. First, we present the cooperation control strategy of the micro handling operation under vision-based position/force control integrating a sensor fusion framework approach. A guiding-system based on virtual micro-world exactly reconstructed from the CAD-CAM databases of the real environment being considered is presented for the imprecisely calibrated micro world. Finally, some experimental results of microassembly tasks performed on millimeter-sized components are provided.

In this paper, the developmental software environment for humanoids is introduced. This environment has the following features: 1) a hardware concealment function which saves the trouble with hardware improvements; 2) an incremental expansion function which supports a long-term development by many developers; and 3) a centralised management of body information which enables the robots to share software among different bodies. These features are realized by the plug-in architecture, the universal robot model and its compilers. Using plug-ins enables one to accumulate functions developed by different developers and to switch computer interfaces of the robot body. The universal robot model and compilers promote the use of external software and share software modules among different bodies.

This paper describes the network implementation for SELF, Sensorized Environment for Life, which the authors are developing. SELF is an experimental sensorized environment to support healthcare. All sensors are embedded in the environment cleverly so human in SELF may not care for being monitored from the environment. To construct such an environment and make use of the information from sensors, every sensor should be connected with the others and, consequently, they should form a sensor network. In this paper, the outline of SELF itself is described briefly but not discussed in detail. The focus of this paper is the aspects of this sensor network in SELF.

This paper describes an intelligent environmental system, SELF (Sensorized Environment for Life), that enables a person to maintain his or her health through "self-communication." The system externalizes a "self" by storing personal data such as physiological status, analyzing it, and reporting useful information to assist the person, in maintaining his or her health. To establish the methodology to create such a system, this study analyzes and re-defines the self as an object of information processing. Self-communication is nothing but understanding ourselves objectively. It is not easy to put into practice because it requires a visualized or numerized representation of oneself. As an example of an externalized self, this study focused on the physiological status of a person. The physiological status is obtained as follows: SELF observes the person's behavior with distributed sensors invisibly embedded in the daily environment, extracts physiological parameters from it, analyzes the parameters, and accumulates the results. The accumulated results are used for reporting useful information to maintain the person's health. The authors constructed a model room for SELF consisting of a bed with pressure sensor array, a ceiling lighting dome with a microphone, and a washstand with a display. Fundamental results of self-externalization using SELF are presented.

The authors describes a concept and an implementation of a networked and sensorized environment which they are developing. They call this environment SELF, named after Sensorized Environment for Life. The main objective of SELF is to construct an environment which can support healthcare of not only aged but healthy people with the information accumulated by surrounding sensors installed in it. To equip such capabilities with the system, all sensors should be embedded in the environment and systematically form a sensor network. This paper outlines the concept of SELF and shows its current implementations.

This paper proposes a new method for monitoring normal breath sounds in a daily environment where many kinds of noises exist. In a typical conventional breath monitor, a thermistor, an accelerometer, or a contact-type microphone must be attached directly to a person's body such as a part around the nose and the mouth, or a part over the chest wall and the trachea. This paper focuses on key issues stemming from a factor of the environment: extraction of breath sounds from sensor signals contaminated by environmental noise; and realization of a monitoring system suitable for our homes. Features of normal breath sounds are clarified by frequency analysis. Based on the features, a method for extracting normal breath sounds is discussed. This paper also describes a ceiling dome microphone which is a kind of a parabolic sound concentrator. It realizes a function of detecting normal breathing sounds with high sensitivity while keeping a room's appearance natural. The gain obtained by such a concentrator is analyzed theoretically from the acoustic point of view. Experimental results proved the feasibility of the proposed method.

For service robots working in human coexisting environments, safety is an important issue. To realize the safety, physical and intelligent augmentations should be introduced to the coexistent robot. The key point of the intelligent augmentation is information sharing between the robot and the person. There are two aspects in the information sharing: 1) information about the place where the robot will perform the task and subtasks; and 2) information about the event what the robot will perform as the task and subtasks. The robot should inform the coexisting person of both of these aspects of the task information. We propose a projection function as a means of information sharing about the place. A voice message synthesizer is used for the information sharing about the event. Details of the construction of an experimental system and the experiments are described.

We have proposed a projection function as a method of sharing information between a person and a coexistent robot. The projection function means that an image of the robot's next motion is projected in the task environment to notify the human of what it is going to do and thereby to enable cooperation between the person and the robot. We apply the projection function to teaching the robot the task coordinates. The simulated image on the task floor moves along with the operator's command. The operator can stay apart from the moving robot with the new teaching method. This method requires only the simulation model of the robot itself, while other methods based on virtual reality require a whole model of the task environment.

We have been developing a prototype of teleoperation systems via a standard protocol with a standard human interface, where an enhanced VRML is employed as the protocol and a Web browser as the human interface. We clarify what are missing from VRML2.0 to realize teleoperation systems and show how to enhance it. We believe that the employment of a standard communication protocol and a standard human interface can realize teleoperation systems that are able to be used by nonspecialists from any Internet site, or by any people from anywhere.

Time delay and limited communication capacity are the primary constraints in super-long distance telerobotic systems such as space telerobotic systems. Intelligent monitoring is efficient for this problem to provide a function which selects important scenes to help the operator through a monitoring camera. We constructed a telerobotic testbed which includes a connection through the international ISDN and typical space structure (space robot, truss structure land ORU). We conducted trans-Pacific teleoperation experiments using the testbed in ETL as the remote site and a telerobotic console at JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California) as a local site. Experimental results showed intelligent monitoring to be effective for the above problems.

Time delay and limited communication capacity are the primary constraints in super long distance telerobotic systems. Extension of the intelligent monitoring system is discussed from the viewpoint of the temporal domain. Details of an experimental system which includes real overseas connection through the Internet are shown. Results for a robotic pick-place task experiment using the system are reported.

A multi-robot system has many attractive features such as excellent error sustainability, but there are also problems of which the crucial one is how to control effectively a group of robots. An approach is presented which is based on the master-slave type of control with a dynamically selected master. The implementation of the proposed control system is based on a kind of subsumption architecture which has been extended over a group of robots.

Using visual information such as TV monitors is the most important function in telerobotic task execution. The authors have proposed an intelligent control system for a monitoring camera to achieve telerobotic task execution. In this paper they extend the previously proposed system to the problem of monitoring multiple and concurrent tasks. The authors propose a higher level monitoring framework which takes into account the supervisor's view rather than working robot itself. Several results from an experiment are presented.

In t elerobot ic task execii t ion visual inforinat ion, such as TV monitors, is most important. However, in order that TV monitor supports human operator effectively, the monitor should display scenes relevant to task situation. In converitiorial systems, the human operator controls camera direction and viewing range (zooming) manually along with robot task control. It severely increases the burden of the operator. In this paper, we propose an intelligent control system of the monitoring camera for telerobotic task execution. The system supports the human operator by offering automated camera control synchronized with the process of the task execution. The robot tasks are commanded and executed using teleoperation-oriented robot-language. The proposed framework for the intelligent control system utilizes the hierarchical structiire of the language system. Prototype system with two cameras has been built up. Some results from experiments are also included.

Proposes a method to estimate hand-to-object transformation for a hand-eye system. The method estimates hand-to-object transformation by achieving rotation about a fixed point on the object. The primary feature of the method is that the obtained estimation is almost free from visual measurement error. Several experimental results are also included.>

A qualitative reasoning planner for behavior improvement by selecting and determining robot control parameters to drive manipulation actions has been developed, integrated into a telerobot system, and demonstrated for a match striking task. The planner consists of a qualitative reasoner and a numerical execution history which interact to jointly direct and narrow the search for reliable numerical control parameter values. The planner algorithm, implementation, and an execution example are described.>

The language-aided robotic teleoperation system incorporates two sets of teieoperational languages with a master-slave manipulator. One offers flexible means, called software jigs, to specify motion constraints superimposed on operational motion, simplifying task motion. The other offers an easy method of teaching elementary tasks which frequently appear in teleoperation. Re-execution of the thus-taught program is effectively utilized.