With the rapid development of new technology, robots are increasingly being introduced into decision-making such that people can receive advice from them. Decision-making involves many variables, which should be investigated together. In the current study, we explored human-robot interaction in decision-making from the perspectives of confidence, trust, decision change, and reciprocity. We also investigated

ABSTRACT In conversations between people and social robots, it is important that robots show agreements to user's opinions from the aspect of building relationships. However, robot's agreements are often incoherent to user's opinions due to speech recognition failures. This paper proposes a new approach called double-meaning agreement to conceal the incoherence. In this approach, we exploit an interaction

ABSTRACT A main objective of the Mars 2020 rover mission (Perseverance) is to collect and preserve samples of rock and soil from the Martian surface. To accomplish this task, the Perseverance Rover carries a Sampling and Caching Subsystem outfitted with Coring Drill mounted on a 5 degree-of-freedom (DoF) robotic arm. Safe operation of the Robotic Arm and its tools relies on force feedback, provided

Due to the declining birthrate and aging population, the shortage of labor in the construction industry has become a serious problem, and increasing attention has been paid to automation of construction equipment. We focus on the automatic operation of articulated six-wheel dump trucks at construction sites. For the automatic operation of the dump trucks, it is important to estimate the position and

This paper presents a wide-range routing method for multiple rovers deployed for a lunar polar exploration mission. In the mission scenario considered in this paper, multiple exploration points are divided into several sets of points to be assigned to multiple rovers. Subsequently, routes between the exploration points are generated for each rover. This assignment and routing problems are well known

Human beings can utilize multiple balance strategies, e.g. step location adjustment and angular momentum adaptation, to maintain balance when walking under dynamic disturbances. In this work, we propose a novel Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) framework for robust gait pattern generation, with the capabilities of step location adjustment, Center of Mass (CoM) height variation, and angular

Force measurement of soft actuators has drawn much research interest to realize closed-loop feedback. This work develops an estimation method of contact force of hydraulic soft bending actuators for gripping instead of installing force sensors at interaction position. A simplified analytical model is developed to reveal the relationships among the hydraulic pressure, the bending angle, and the contact

Impulse force is effective for purposes such as system analysis, mobile robots, and haptic devices. However, the most popular DC motor actuator is not suitable for generating an impulse force. Thus, the lack of a compact impulse force generator has become a problem. We propose a snap motor that is a compact and rapid impulse force generator. In this paper, we propose a slider mechanism for the arched

This paper proposes an extended balance stabilization control approach for humanoid robot on rotational slope. We define rotational slope as the unstable rotated slope where humanoid robot rides. Conventional balance stabilization control enables humanoid robot to stand stably on the flat floor and the uneven ground. Although the balance stability for only humanoid robot can be guaranteed by the conventional

This paper reports the effects of praise from two robots on children’s learning time, their performance, and their acceptance of the robots. Since praise from a single robot provides positive effects for children as educational support, we hypothesized that praise from two robots will increase such effects because two robots will enhance the social influences. To verify this hypothesis, we developed

(2021). Special Issue on Robot and Human Interactive Communication 2021 (Part I) Advanced Robotics: Vol. 35, Special issue on Robot and Human Interactive Communication 2021 (Part I), pp. 1029-1029.

The use of emotion to drive robotic interaction continues to grow across a range of use cases, from social robotics to increased survivability. Nevertheless, these efforts remain isolated from each other and are not easily compared between papers and projects. To this end an extensive survey of 1427 IEEE and ACM publications was conducted, covering robotics and emotion. The survey first resulted in

This paper reports the effectiveness of a tactile stimulus in a virtual environment to increase people's motivations during a monotonous task by comparing a touch with only visual stimuli and another with both visual and tactile stimuli. Although touch interaction with robots showed various positive effects such as improved motivation, visual and haptic stimuli were not separated due to the form of

ABSTRACT To realize autonomous collaborative robots, it is important to increase the trust that users have in them. Toward this goal, this paper proposes an algorithm that endows an autonomous agent with the ability to explain the transition from the current state to the target state in a Markov decision process (MDP). According to cognitive science, to generate an explanation that is acceptable to

ABSTRACT Personality estimation is a vital ability for communicating with others. It can help robots that interact with humans to model various human behaviors with a few parameters. Numerous studies have proposed models for estimating human personality from human–robot interaction. However, a limited number of methods have focused on the personalities of toddlers, which are dominated by innate temperaments

In this study, we examine robotic proximity perception for both reactive control and 3D point-cloud acquisition using a multi-fingered robot hand. A reactive controller adjusts the relative position and orientation between the fingertips and the target object, while the robot-hand system gathers point-cloud data related to the shape of the object. An experimental result showed that the accuracy of

ABSTRACT For a conversational robot, conveying its intention explicitly to the communicating human is one of the most important but challenging tasks in the field of human–robot interaction (HRI). Expressing the robot’s current mental state or feeling while conversing may help achieve a more effective communication. In this study, a robot equipped with a projecting system is implemented, in which the

This paper proposes a marker-based motion capture system for rat motion detection and gait analysis. Motion capture in small animals such as rodents is more challenging than in humans because of their small bodies and rapid motion. Existing algorithms have poor applicability in rat motion capture in environments outside the studio. Moreover, gait analysis targeting on the rat is not performed by existing

ABSTRACT This study investigates object picking focusing on object arrangement patterns. Objects stored in distribution warehouses or stores are arranged in regular patterns, and the grasping strategy for object picking is selected according to the object arrangement pattern. However, object arrangement patterns have not been modeled for object picking. In this study, we represent objects as polyhedral

Utilizing McKibben pneumatic artificial muscles is a widely accepted method to achieve compliance in applications where adaptability is desirable. Controlling their lengths in an open-loop based on pressure is still challenging, due to their non-linear nature, even more so if external perturbations can occur. Generating inflation or length feedback was, therefore, the goal of several previous sensor

Behavioral cloning from observation (BCO) allows the robot to learn the policy without the expert's action information. However, it requires a few interactions with the environment to infer expert's action with risk of robot failures. In addition, BCO assumes that the inferred action is of accurate, causing wrong and inefficient updates of the policy. Both problems can be resolved by outlier detection

Unpowered braces and exoskeletons, which are often made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), can assist lower limb movements and can be worn permanently. Furthermore, braces to be worn at all times must not hinder the change of direction, as this movement is nearly as essential as straight gait in daily life. Ankle joint movements, especially inversion and eversion, play a key role in changing

This paper presents a novel robotic navigation system integrating a visual simultaneous localization and mapping (V-SLAM) based global planner with a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) based local planner. On one hand, map of many modern popular V-SLAM systems is inhomogeneous point cloud, which contains many outliers and is too sparse for reliable global path planning. To address this problem, we propose

Planetary rovers are becoming indispensable for exploration activities and science missions. The rover used in such mission is often limited in its operation time owing to power and computational resources of the rover. In this paper, a trajectory planning method for a planetary rover is proposed that considers vehicle dynamics, and energy management of the rover. The vehicle dynamics is approximated

The utilization of space for human activities has increased steadily over the past several decades. In parallel, space debris has also grown at an alarming rate, posing risks to space missions and establishing debris removal as an aspiration in the current space industry. These objects can orbit at arbitrary rotational speeds in different planes. In this paper, a model predictive control-based algorithm

This article proposes a novel two-staged trajectory planning algorithm toward the cooperative visual coverage of multiple asteroid sites with the utilization of multiple spacecraft. The objective of the novel established planning scheme is to determine an observation tour for each spacecraft and the associated fuel optimal trajectories, such that each site of interest is observed only once during the

NASA and ESA are proposing to retrieve samples from Mars with a rover that will need to drive long distances, beyond what is seen on images from previous downlinks, to complete its mission in less than 200 Martian days. This paper proposes a planning method to support Mars Sample Return by integrating terrain information into the planning phase. The first step consists of predicting rover slip and

(2021). Special issue on hyper-adaptability for overcoming body–brain dysfunction. Advanced Robotics: Vol. 35, Hyper-adaptability for overcoming body-brain dysfunction, pp. 801-801.

Hyper-adaptability is an ability of humans and animals to adapt to large-scale changes in the nervous system or the musculoskeletal system, such as strokes and spinal cord injuries. Although this adaptation may involve similar neural processes with normal adaptation to usual environmental and body changes in daily lives, it can be fundamentally different because it requires ‘construction’ of the neural

Patients with stroke experience declined physical functions and aim to recover by rehabilitation. It is important to improve their functions in the subacute period. Hemiplegic patients who can stand exhibit differing characteristics such as the center of mass and muscle synergy compared to healthy subjects. However, the characteristics to be achieved by the sit-to-stand motion in the subacute period

ABSTRACT Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurological disorder, which causes instability in standing balance. The risk factors for falls in PD include disease severity, medication state (On/Off state), and dual tasking. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of dopaminergic medication and dual tasking on standing balance in PD by evaluating not only the center of pressure but also muscle

The goal state of the robot motion involved in an action is determined by the action model based on the effect of the action and the scene state. This study focuses on serving food as a robot action; the action model of serving food is obtained based on demonstrations. The arrangement position is determined by considering the spatial relations between the object being served and the multiple selected

(2021). Extra special issue on Soft/Social/Systemic (3S) Robot Technologies for enhancing Quality of New Normal (QoNN) Advanced Robotics: Vol. 35, Extra special issue on Soft/Social/Systemic (3S) Robot Technologies for enhancing Quality of New Normal (QoNN), pp. 649-649.

This project aims to realise an avatar-symbiotic society in which cybernetic avatars (CAs) allow everyone to perform active social roles without constraint. Through the teleoperation of multiple CAs that can fully transmit the user's actions, intentions, and reactions in scenarios which feature hospitality-rich dialogue, the user will be able to take part in various social activities (work, education

Many people are now engaged in remote conversations for a wide variety of scenes such as interviewing, counseling, and consulting, but there is a limited number of skilled experts. We propose a novel framework of parallel conversations with semi-autonomous avatars, where one operator collaborates with several remote robots or agents simultaneously. The autonomous dialogue system mostly manages the

The installation of remotely-operated service robots in the environments of our daily life (including offices, homes, and hospitals) can improve work-from-home policies and enhance the quality of the so-called new normal. However, it is evident that remotely-operated robots must have partial autonomy and the capability to learn and use local semiotic knowledge. In this paper, we argue that the development

In this study, we propose a method for dynamic projection mapping on a target moving at high speed in a wide area around the projection equipment, using a high-speed gaze control system called Saccard Mirror 3. The prototype system successfully projected images over a wide angular range using a rotating mirror and kept projecting images on a flying drone while allowing the drone to move over a wide

In the era of social distancing, humans tend to interact more with digital edges/devices and robotic avatar. Users mostly interact with cyber-physical systems through audiovisual devices, while tangible interfaces are limited to touch panels. Touch perception not only brings sense of physical contact, texture; but also conveys the intention and emotion of users. Here, we introduce a novel soft tangible

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to conduct research involving human-robot interactions (HRIs). As a result, many robot competitions have been canceled in the past year. To address this problem, we propose a cloud-based VR platform for the crowdsourcing of embodied cognition with multiple human users and a virtual robot. The feasibility of the platform is evaluated from the latency of the

The integration of augmented reality/mixed reality (AR/MR) technology in remote work support technologies helps in the performance of various tasks remotely because it guides workers in the field from a remote location. However, teleworking has two major obstacles, namely, stamping and signing. Diminished reality (DR) technology can be used to erase or hide information, such as text in the image that

In this paper, the socio-economic problems facing the construction industry in Japan are presented, including the COVID19 pandemic, an aging population, aging infrastructure, and severe natural disasters, and a project to tackle the problem is introduced. This project, called ‘Collaborative robots for adaptation of diverse environments and innovation of infrastructure construction,’ is a sub-project

In general, oral care training is often practiced in pairs. However, this method is not recommended in the current situation with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, because it requires face-to-face and short-distance work. To address this problem, we propose a measurable oral care simulator, where a single force sensor is installed at the bottom of the gum model. We developed a measurement algorithm for

In this short paper, we propose a new direction of cross-cutting research for prediction and control of spreading COVID-19 viruses over a human social network. Such a network consists of human agents whose behaviors are highly uncertain and biased. To predict and control such an uncertain network, we need to employ various researches such as control theory, signal processing, machine learning, and

This paper proposes a prediction model for three-dimensional spatio-temporal soil deformation in bucket excavation. The prediction model for soil deformation (PMSD) consists of two machine learning processes: the long short-term memory (LSTM) and convolutional autoencoder (Conv-AE). These processes use datasets obtained from an experimental apparatus for bucket excavation developed in this work. The

This paper proposes an adaptive pin-array fixture. The key idea of this research is to use the shape-memorable mechanism of the pin array to fix multiple different shaped parts with a common pin configuration. The clamping area consists of a matrix of passively slid-able pins that conform themselves to the contour of the target object. The vertical motion of the pins enables the fixture to encase the

This paper presents a method for determining the posture of a mobile manipulator aiming to reach a target end-effector pose. A posture is composed of two parameters: the pose of the mobile platform and joint angles of the manipulator. To determine the platform pose rationally, we propose a novel posture evaluation method focusing on the pose error associated with the end-effector and caused by the

(2021). Control of a snake robot for passing through a self-closing door. Advanced Robotics: Vol. 35, No. 10, pp. 635-647.

In this paper, a new inverse kinematics strategy is proposed for avoiding deadlock caused by joint limits. The proposed method is a combination of the conventional numerical method for inverse kinematics and an extended angle-axis vector. The extended angle-axis vector, instead of Euler angles, represents the orientation error. In the proposed method, the rotation direction of the end effector is changed

In this paper, we investigate which approach to generate eye behaviors using an android robot makes what impressions on humans and clarify which are the important factors for attractive eye behaviors. Thus, we evaluate the human impression of eye behaviors displayed by an android robot while talking to a human by comparing the motions generated by the two approaches. In the first approach, we develop

(2021). Special issue on Ethics, law, and psychology towards responsible robotics for the society. Advanced Robotics: Vol. 35, SI on Ethics, Law, and Psychology towards Responsible Robotics for the Society, pp. 531-531.

Human–robot interactions are increasingly taking place between a robot agent and a human observer who, unable to witness all aspects of the robot's behaviour, is uncertain as to how the robot will behave. This uncertainty has serious consequences when it concerns the normative aspects of machine behaviour: that is, whether the robot's actions are morally permissible. Bringing together distinct threads

The COVID-19 pandemic keeps spreading across the world and, while national governments concentrate on lockdowns and restrictions to mitigate the disaster, advanced technologies could be employed more widely to fight the pandemic. This paper surveys existing robotic solutions that could be employed for pandemic care and presents a systematized description of desired robot properties based on a particular

ABSTRACT Tidy-up tasks by service robots in home environments are challenging in robotics applications because they involve various interactions with the environment. In particular, robots are required not only to grasp, move, and release various home objects but also to plan the order and positions for placing the objects. In this paper, we propose a novel planning method that can efficiently estimate

A reactive motion-planning for collaborative robots using the time-layered C-spaces (TLC-spaces) is proposed in this paper. First, the time-augmented C-space (TAC-space) is introduced. TAC-space is an implementation of the configuration-time space with multiple moving obstacles [Latombe JC. Robot motion planning. Kluwer Academic; 1991. p. 22, 23]. The TAC-space is obtained by stacking the current and

ABSTRACT Robotic devices for nursing care are expected to help caregivers work with the elderly. Some robotic devices assist in the physical transfer of the elderly, and these robots come in contact with large surfaces of the human body. The regions of the buttock and the back may be uncomfortable due to the surface material or motions of the robotic devices. Therefore, sensing devices simulating a

A control architecture for robust biped navigation that takes into account traversability on terrain, foot-reachability, and capturability all at once in dynamic situations is proposed. It consists of online mapping of terrain and quick decision of foot placement. A grid map with elevation, normal direction and the standard deviation of measurement is proposed for the former and is named the stochastic

Sit-to-stand motion is an important daily activity, and it is important to study the mechanism of the motion to improve the ability when it becomes weak. To study the mechanism, we hypothesized that muscle synergy generates muscle activity as a feedforward signal, which is modified by sensory input. This study focuses on determining the sensory input primarily used for modifying sit-to-stand motion

(2021). Special issue on cyborg and bionic systems III. Advanced Robotics: Vol. 35, Special Issue on Cyborg and Bionic Systems III, pp. 399-399.

Locomotion in unstructured and irregular environments is an enduring challenge in robotics. This is particularly true at the small scale, where relative obstacle size increases, often to the point that a robot is required to climb and transition both over obstacles and between locomotion modes. In this paper, we explore the efficacy of different design features, using ‘morphological intelligence’,

Computational models of motor learning have been examined experimentally with human participants using a robotic manipulandum that produces force perturbations on their reach trajectories. Here, we developed a small-scale robotic manipulandum for rodent studies. This device enabled us to conduct the same motor control experiments typically used for human study on rodents in order to examine the neural