Arguably, one of the problems with artificial intelligence is its (un)explainability, and the so-called ``explainable artificial intelligence'' (XAI) is an allegedly promising approach to address it. There is also a trend against XAI: EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) recognizes the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated systems for the reason that such systems are unable to handle the right to object. It seems that what GDPR asks for automated systems is a kind of functionality of conversational communication rather than mere explainability. Consequently, XAI would be insufficient. What should be addressed is the accountability rather than explainability of AI. However, an advanced conversational system that GDPR asks for would not be realized in the near future. In this paper, we argue that ``the right to speak'' could be a milestone to realize such a system and investigate how to implement the functions to handle the right. We also propose a classification of conversational systems with levels based on the right to speak, presumably equivalent to the SAE levels of automated vehicles.

In recent years, the robotics industry has been attracting attention. Anticipating the future increase of demand in human life, it is natural that the robots are becoming more sophisticated at research and development sites. In this paper, we report the results of our study on the piezoelectric film materials. It is being developed as a piezoelectric element for tactile sensors aiming at the robot with a tactile sensation. This material is an electret of a polypropylene-based porous film, which is suitable for a tactile sensor from the viewpoint of sensing sensitivity. We have proved that the softness of objects in physical contact with this sensor can be classified with high accuracy by using machine learning.

This study presents the development of a real-response texture identification device, ``Sommelier Animaloid'', designed to evaluate the quality changes in carbonated drinks over time. Results indicate the device's capability of high-precision recognition of carbonated drinks in correlation with elapsed time, facilitating real-time evaluation. Current challenges include managing fluid dynamics and compensating for time-dependent data changes. Future objectives comprise expansion to diverse beverages, both carbonated and non-carbonated, enabling personalised drink suggestions based on user preferences, health conditions, and food pairing. Overcoming these challenges could transform this device into a reliable tool for quality evaluation of a wide range of beverages, enhancing the overall beverage experience.

In robotic assembly, robots need to align and then grasp target parts with the accuracy required for assembly in the case where the parts are supplied without being pre-aligned. The purpose of this study is to develop a device that can precisely measure the pose (position and orientation) of a target part in alignment operations with a robotic hand, and to evaluate the feasibility of aligning the part for a 2nd-order form closure grasp. In this paper, we present the development of such a device utilizing a flatbed scanner and the results of measuring the pose of an example part.

Extreme environments like lunar and planetary surfaces, disaster sites, and volcanoes have severely uneven terrain and steep slopes. Conventional robots currently lack mechanisms for negotiating such terrain. In this paper, we developed a mechanism that can potentially serve as either a gripper or a wheel - via retractable fingers. When the fingers are retracted, they form a cylindrical shape that acts as a wheel. When the fingers are extended, they act as a gripper. The fingers are controlled by a single actuator. We conducted a grasping force experiment and confirmed that the mechanism could exert the same holding force as an existing gripper.

This paper addresses the extraction of surface regions. We propose the Multi-Constraint MVDR Beamformer to improve the performance, and a sequential calculation method with Woodbury matrix identity aiming at improving processing speed. Preliminary results showed that 1) performance increased by 2.25[dB] in SDR with the proposed method, and 2) the sequential computation method increased processing speed by 15.5%.

In recent years, the Arctic sea ice has been decreasing due to climate change, which has created a need to investigate phenomena under the sea ice. As existing exploration methods are limited in the range they can explore, a method has been proposed to secure a communication relay system under the sea ice by drilling through the sea ice. The aim of this study is to develop a sea ice drilling robot for this system. In this paper, the basic characteristics of the drilling mechanism are evaluated in real environments. The basic characteristics of this mechanism are compared in laboratory and field conditions.

This study proposed a social multitasking task in which two people cooperate, and investigated the effects of repeated performance on cognitive and physical functions in older women. We compared walking with a new physical task, movement using a mobility support robot, UNI-CUB β. The results showed that the cognitive and physical functions of both the walking and robot conditions generally improved before and after the five-day repetitions of the experiment. On the other hand, different cognitive and physical functions were promoted in the walking and robot conditions.