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This paper proposes a system to enable a humanoid robot to perform various tasks semi-autonomously according to higher-layer procedures called task sequences. A task sequence is a sequentially structured procedure that describes how to perform a particular task based on sensing data, motion planners, and a robot controller. These task sequences are processed by the task sequencer to move the robot...
This paper presents a technique to achieve a stable simulation of flexible cable-like objects approximated as serial kinematic chains with a high number of passive degrees of freedom. This is achieved by implementing a dry-friction model based on implicit Euler integration of Coulomblike discontinuous friction, which does not exhibit chattering nor unbounded drift. The applicability of this technique...
This paper describes the methodology followed to enable a semi-autonomous humanoid robot to pass through a narrow lane filled with debris, a task that was originally inspired by the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials. During this competition, each team had 30 minutes to complete the task, a time limit that was not suitable if 8 tasks had to be completed within one hour, as in the Finals. It was then...
Maximum absolute acceleration at impact is widely used for evaluating damage at robot fall. In this paper, we measured the impact acceleration of a life-size humanoid robot when it fell down. The experiment showed that a robot suffered maximum acceleration of over 100G at the impact. To mitigate this we tested an airbag system. Our experiment showed the airbag could reduce the peak acceleration to...
This paper presents a humanoid robot HRP-2Kai, which is the improvement version of HRP-2 towards disaster response tasks. HRP-2 stands for a humanoid robotics platform-2, which was developed in phase two of the Japanese national project HRP (Humanoid Robotics Project, from 1998FY to 2002FY), while Kai means improvement in Japanese. In a year of the ninth year from releasing HRP-2, the Great East Japan...
This paper presents the strategy used by the team AIST-NEDO at the DARPA Robotics Challenge to deal with the designated manipulation tasks by means of a task-level teleoperation of the HRP-2Kai humanoid robot, considering a disaster-hit scenario that is inherently non-structured and a limited communication between the user and the robot. The strategy, based on the information provided by a laser rangefinder...
This study describes our teleoperation interface, through which an operator can dictate various tasks to a biped humanoid robot. In this interface, the robot model and the environmental data are presented in three-dimensional computer graphics, and the robot actions are specified by several operational markers. The interface also provides a task sequencer function, enabling the operator to perform...
This paper presents a user interface for teleoperating a biped humanoid robot and discusses the interface design. Teleoperation interfaces can be classified as either direct- or indirect-type, and the latter is employed by our interface because our goal is to use humanoid robots for disaster response, and the indirect-type interfaces have advantages for such applications. The basic design of our interface...
This paper presents a biped locomotion control method for an exploration in unknown environment. It is still hard for humanoid robot to walk autonomously even an artificial construction such as a power plant which are overly arranged many stairs and pipes. In such an environment, the physical constraints with a collision avoidance, joint limitations and support region on the terrain, become dominant...
This paper presents the application of a humanoid robot as an evaluator of assistive devices; we propose a framework of the evaluation by utilizing identification of the mechanical properties of a humanoid robot. The accurate estimation of joint torque with the identification can enhance the performance to estimate the supporting effect of the devices. We evaluate a passive assistive wear "Smart...
In this paper, we present an optimizationbased retargeting method for precise reproduction of captured human motions by a humanoid robot. We take into account two important aspects of retargeting simultaneously: spatial relationship and robot dynamics model. The former takes care of the spatial relationship between the body parts based on “interaction mesh” to follow the human motion in a natural...
Virtual robot models are often used for developing, testing, and using robot systems. Such activities can be efficiently conducted by using software tools for visualizing and operating virtual robots with a graphical user interface (GUI). However, existing GUI tools such as robot simulators do not provide all the functions necessary for handling a target robot system, and the development of new GUI...
We developed a key pose input system using a KinectTM sensor for Choreonoid, an integrated software that helps to generate humanoid robot motion easily. The system captures a real human pose and calculates the joint angles of a humanoid robot to generate its key pose. The proposed method is able to detect the support leg automatically and calculate a set of joint angles for the humanoid robot which...
Adapting human motion data for humanoid robots can be an efficient way to let them conduct specific tasks or perform visually intriguing movements. However adapting movements which involve close interactions between body parts / objects has been a difficult problem if we try to make the motions sufficiently similar to the original ones without causing undesired collisions and fall-overs. To solve...
Exploiting variable impedance for dynamic tasks such as walking is both challenging and topical - research progress in this area impacts not only autonomous, bipedal mobility but also prosthetics and exoskeletons. In this work, we present the design, construction and preliminary testing of a planar bipedal robot with joints capable of physically varying both their stiffness and damping independently...
In this paper, we describe three singing information processing systems, VocaListener, VocaListener2, and VocaWatcher, that imitate singing expressions of the voice and face of a human singer. VocaListener can synthesize natural singing voices by analyzing and imitating the pitch and dynamics of the human singing. VocaListener2 imitates temporal timbre changes in addition to the pitch and dynamics...
In this paper, we describe VocaWatcher, a novel robot motion generator that enables a humanoid robot to sing with realistic facial expressions and naturally synthesized singing voices. This robot singer is an important and attractive humanoid robot application for the entertainment scene; moreover, it promotes state-of-the-art integration of robot engineering, music processing, and image processing...
In this paper, we describe VocaWatcher, a novel robot motion generator that enables a humanoid robot to sing with realistic facial expressions and naturally synthesized singing voices. This robot singer is an important and attractive humanoid robot application for the entertainment scene; moreover, it promotes state-of-the-art integration of robot engineering, music processing, and image processing...
Hardware improvement of cybernetic human HRP-4C for entertainment is presented in this paper. We coined the word “Cybernetic Human” to explain a humanoid robot with a realistic head and a realistic figure of a human being. HRP-4C stands for Humanoid Robotics Platform-4 (Cybernetic human). Its joints and dimensions conform to average values of young Japanese females and HRP-4C looks very human-like...
Hardware improvement of cybernetic human HRP-4C for entertainment is presented in this paper. We coined the word “Cybernetic Human” to explain a humanoid robot with a realistic head and a realistic figure of a human being. HRP-4C stands for Humanoid Robotics Platform-4 (Cybernetic human). Its joints and dimensions conform to average values of young Japanese females and HRP-4C looks very human-like...
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