Journal of the Robotics Society of Japan

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Robot common platform, web-robot and cloud robotics are becoming active area of research. On the other hand, although voice communication is key to service robots in the life space, existing platforms are insufficient to the problem. In this paper, we propose integration of voice communication and robot control into the robot service platform by extending RSNP (Robot Service Network Protocol). This voice communication realize conversation with a target via a robot. Voice data are continuously transmitted by bidirectional communication. Moreover, since this service is integrated into RSNP, robot operation, image transfer and voice communication are implemented on a single platform. The use of this platform enables to develop the services easily and efficiently, without the expertise of voice communication. Furthermore, system-integrators are able to construct a robot system, without peculiar equipment for voice communication. As a result, such effective robot services as monitoring/watching in the fields of welfare and care easily provided, which can be brought to market inexpensively and quickly. We also report the results of our implementation and verify the effectiveness of our voice communication service on the robot service platform.

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This paper describes a motion simulator for the lower extremities of human in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. The motion simulator provides physical support for a wearer to move his/her lower extremities like gait. The simulator also provides his/her sole contact sensation like floor reactive force during gait. An MRI is one of the most powerful tools to measure brain activity, and requires that a device driven in MRI environment is MRI compatible. This paper shows the MRI compatibility of the simulator which consists of nonmagnetic materials and actuators. We confirm that the simulator does not affect quality of image of MRI adversely when a distance between the simulator and a head coil of the MRI is more than 300[mm]. When MRI measures brain activity of human wearing LoMS, the distance is more than 400[mm]. We also confirm that LoMS can measure own joint angles with potentiometers through simple low-pass filters avoiding noise due to MRI. Then we measure brain activity of a man wearing LoMS during gait-like motion and the brain region related to gait is activated by the motion.

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This paper discusses a configuration of six legged robot, considering a relationship between number of actuators and number of locomotion functions. Mechanical configurations are classified by number of body, relative moving DOF of bodies, moving DOF of legs against the body. As for the function, DOF counting method by five independent functions is proposed. The functions are locomotion, terrain adaptability, relative horizontal positioning of swing legs, mobility of body independent to the leg position, horizontal inner force distribution of supporting legs. Introducing nine various style practical examples, the equality of mechanical actuation DOF and functional DOF count is verified.

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