Tetsuo Tomizawa

Remote book browsing system using a mobile manipulator

This paper describes a system which uses a mobile manipulator as a teleoperated tool for accessing and manipulating remote objects, in our challenge to extend mobile robot potentials and usage in human daily life. The specific task we set up in this research is to help humans browse books located in a library from a remote location via the Internet. This task was decomposed into three major parts which are, the extraction and return of a book from a bookshelf, its browsing, and the teleoperational interface needed for humans to access to this system via a media such as the Internet. We built and realized a robot system which enables remote humans to access and browse books in a library from the Internet.

Book browsing system using an autonomous mobile robot teleoperated via the internet

This paper describes a system which uses a mobile robot as a teleoperated tool for accessing and manipulating remote objects. The purpose of this study is to develop a robot system which helps humans to accomplish remotely a given task in their daily life, based on simple communication and mutual cooperation between them and a teleoperated mobile robot. The specific task we set up in this research is to help humans browse books of a library from a remote location. In this work, we build such a system accordingly to its basic requirements involving autonomous navigation, environment perception, book manipulation and teleoperation. In this paper, we present the developed book browsing robot system, its teleoperation human interface and evaluate its performance and operating efficiency through experimental results.

Visual Information Assist System Using 3D SOKUIKI Sensor for Blind People, System Concept and Object Detecting Experiments

The purpose of this research is to develop a system which gives blind people information of the environment around them. A person is equipped with a 3D scanner and a small sized PC while walking. The scanner scans and acquires 3D range data map of the environment. The PC analyzes the range data map and detects objects which are useful for blind people in order to walk. The PC gives environmental information to them by synthesized sound. This paper first introduces the concept of the whole system and clarify the tasks for realizing the system. Secondly the method for acquisition of 3D range data and detecting objects and obstacles are described. Then the usefulness of our proposed system is examined by an experiment in which our trial system detects bumps and trenches in the experimental environment

Remote Shopping Robot System, -Development of a hand mechanism for grasping fresh foods in a supermarket

The purpose of this research is to develop a robot system which helps humans to remotely accomplish a daily given task such as shopping. This teleoperated system is based on simple mutual human-robot cooperation where the person remotely communicates with the mobile robot. We define the specific task of buying FRESH foods in a supermarket from a remote location. In order to do shopping operations, the robot has to be able of grasping a large amount of objects with different textures, shapes and weights which include fruits and vegetables with soft and irregular forms. After the user chooses the product to buy, the process is the next, firstly the robot has to find the object, then grasp it and then place it into a shopping basket. In this work, we built a system according to the previously explained requirements which involves autonomous navigation, environment perception, object manipulation and teleoperation. In this paper, we present the developed suction hand for picking fresh foods and evaluate its operating performance through experimental results

Visual Mark for Robot Manipulation and Its RT-Middleware Component

In this paper, a visual marker called Coded Landmark for Ubiquitous Environment (CLUE) is proposed for easy robot manipulation using the RT-middleware component technology. Currently, home service robots are being expected to work in human living environments; however, such environments might be highly complex for robots. One of the solutions to solve such problems might be the development of structured environments for robots, such as visual marks in human living space, which could often be used in industrial fields, e.g., marked lines for mobile robots in industry. For application of structured environments from the factory to the human living environment, the affinity to humans might be important, such as marks invisible to humans, but visible to robots. In this paper, an invisible marker, CLUE, which is based on QR codes, is proposed; this will provide robots with information on the objects that are to be manipulated and visual guidance required for robot manipulation based on the RT-middleware platform. Finally, by means of actual robot applications, the method to use the proposed robot technology component is shown.

A House Cleaning Robot System -Path indication and Position estimation using ceiling camera

Finding the desired path for a mobile robot in order to perform cleaning efficiently is a difficult task. Moreover, in complex indoor environments, mobile robot position estimation and its correction remains to be one big problem. This paper describes a cleaning robot system, which is composed of path indication and auto position estimation. This system allows the user to teach the robot a determined cleaning path and provides long time cleaning stability

Remote Food Shopping Robot System in a Supermarket -Realization of the shopping task from remote places

This paper describes a system which uses a mobile manipulator as a teleoperated tool for accessing and manipulating remote objects. This system attempts to answer the challenge of extending mobile robot potentials and usage in human daily life. The specific task we set up in this research is to help people buy fresh food in a supermarket from a remote location using the Internet. We built the prototype system by integrating custom designed components: the mobile manipulator, the sucker gripper, the shape scanner using a small laser range finder, and the communication interface. With this system, the selection of the food item by the remote user from the supermarket showcase, its close examination using the gripper, and final placement into the shopping basket were realized. This paper describes the hardware and software of this system, and shows the experimental result performed with the integrated system.

Object posture recognition for remote book browsing robot system

Our purpose is the realization of a system able to access objects located at remote places, by integrating Internet technologies and robotic engineering developments such as mobile robots. As an example, in this research, we are developing a system for browsing books from remote places through the Internet with a robot. In order to do browsing operations, the robot has to recognize the alignment state of a bookshelf itself and to pick up a book correctly. This paper also describes the developed sensor for recognizing the posture of a book and the plan for extractional operation in the environment of a general library. In addition, we conducted experiments by the developed system, and summarize the consideration about this system.

Development of ubiquitous mobile manipulator system with RT-Middleware

In this paper, the ubiquitous mobile manipulator system, which could realize the concept of ubiquitous robotics, is proposed. The ubiquitous robot might be able to give several services in human environments, beside classical robots have many problems to realize services, because of the complexity of environments and the amount of information. The experiment shows the validness of this system configuration. Our robots have 7DOF manipulator, mobile, gripper, tag reader and so on. And, all of systems are integrated on RT-middleware.

Distributed Actuation Module for ubiquitous robot

Ubiquitous robots consist of distributed and networked robot elements such as sensor, computer, actuator, and etc. Distributed actuation module (DAM) is one of the ubiquitous robot elements, which provide physical services. If the technology of the DAM develops as well as sensor and computer technology, a user can match up and set robot elements freely. The ubiquitous robot can be designed according to the knowledge of the engineer as well as the true needs of the user. This paper describes problems of communication method and synchronization method for the DAM, and proposes a method to solve them. We also implemented the proposed methods to actual active caster which is wheel type actuator and evaluated the concept and functionalities.