The number of the human-coexistence type robot which operates nearby people is increasing. Then a comprehensible and safety interface to operate is required by people who operate advanced robot for the first time. This paper shows a trial interface via voice to operation a mobile robot. It reports the examination to develop a voice interface, especially on mounted functions and the result of the experiments comparing with the keyboard and the step-on interface.

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We propose new input method of operation. Instructions to robot are given by stepping on a part of operation screen that is projected on running surface by projector equipped on the robot. This paper examines the layout of instruction buttons on operation screen. And additional functions, the preliminary-announcement and indication of forthcoming movement and the discrimination of obstacles from stepped foot to apply autonomous movement and mouse cursor operation, are also discussed.

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This research aims at realizing the robot throw-over movement which a person is easy to predict the distance to the targeted position of the object when throwing from a robot to a person by implementing the movement characteristics by people. This paper shows the experimental examination of points to change in the movement depending on the distance after the measurement and analysis. In addition we selected the movement data by a subject for a future evaluation experiment.

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This paper shows evaluation results of the touch screen interface for mobile robot remote operation. Joystick function, button function, and route indication function are developed with an environmental map in the Cell & Hollow method. Features and efficiency are confirmed according to the experimental results in which a mobile robot is remotely operated using the touch screen interface with the developed function to pass through the slalom course or the crank course.

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This paper shows evaluation results of the touch screen interface for mobile robot remote operation. Button function, joystick function, and route designation function are developed with an environmental map in the Line & Hollow or the Cell & Hollow method. Features and efficiency are confirmed according to the experimental results in which a mobile robot is remotely operated using the touch screen interface with the developed function to pass through a straight passage or slalom course.

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We propose new input method of operation. Instructions to robot are given by stepping on a part of operation screen that is projected on running surface by projector equipped on the robot. This time, we designed the human-friendly amusing mobile (HFAM) function that is new usage of the robot equipped with the SOI. There is a scenario that the robot and a child will be able to play together. In this paper, the outline of the HFAM function and the technology are discussed.

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We propose new input method of operation. Instructions to robot are given by stepping on a part of operation screen that is projected on running surface by projector equipped on the robot. This paper examines the layout of instruction buttons on operation screen, and the discrimination of obstacles from stepped foot to apply autonomous movement and the path search for obstacle avoidance are also discussed.

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We have been researching on the remote operated robot in which it is difficult for operator to understand the situation around the robot only by the camera image for remote control. The adequate security and maneuverability cannot be secured, and danger to cause accidents increases. As the solution, we have proposed the methods to construct the environmental map to present the operator the situation around the robot. The performance trial of two range scanners was also executed and reported.

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We propose touch-game application as a new function of Step-on Interface. It is development of the application for recreations. Users operate the screen projected by the projector by touching by hand. We considered projecting a screen on a desk so that elderly people could perform a recreation safely. This paper shows development of the application of the recreation that elderly people can do it happily and safely all the time.

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With the touch panel type interface, the operator cannot only look environmental information around the robot but also control the remote robot and camera by using the button on the touch-screen. In addition the operator can direct the robot to move along the same course as drawing on the environmental map on the touch-screen. Both touch screen and joystick interfaces are experimented on a developed mobile robot remote operation system and discussed on maneuverability and operating accuracy.

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This paper discusses the touch screen as user interface for teleoperation system of mobile robot in order to improve the maneuverability. Button function, joystick function, and route designation are developed with Line&Hollow method as environmental map. Features and efficiency are confirmed on the experiments in which the mobile robot is remotely operated using the touchscreen interface with the developed functions to pass through a passage with orthogonal cranks.

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We are planning to develop HFAMRO-2 which can play with people using the step-on interface. Therefore we would like to improve the mobility performance and to replace the range sensor from HFAMRO-1. This paper shows the modified design of mobile unit which will be able to double the speed of movement. And it also shows the comparison between new range sensor and old one based on the results of performance measurements. The new sensor can detect and measure the stepped foot more precisely.

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This research aims at realizing the robot throw-over movement from which a user is easy to predict the landing distance of the object when the robot throws it to a user by implementing the human movement characteristics. This paper shows the evaluation experiment to examine the reliability of the representative data selected, in which the moving image of a throw-over motion by a virtual humanoid robot developed on Windows-PC is shown to the subject and he replies the landing distance estimated.

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The deliverer of handover task operates so that the weight load is informed to the receiver. This study is aimed to clarify the characteristic of handover movement by people and to implement it to humanoid robot to make it perform naturally. Movement of people when performing handover task to a person was measured and analyzed. It may be said that a receiver can judge whether the load is heavy or not. The design method of handover movement depending on weight load is discussed and experimented.

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This paper describes preliminary announcement methods for a daily-life-support robot using a robot avatar and their evaluation. We proposed four methods using the robot avatar. The first method expresses the robot's stop by glancing the robot avatar down the floor. The second method is similar to the first method; the difference is that the robot avatar glances the point at which the robot stops. As for the third or the fourth methods, the robot avatar always look at the stopping point or human face. The robot approached to a male participant from 3m distance with 0.8m/s at maximum. Then we asked the participant to fill a questionnaire to evaluate the psychological threat of the robot when the preliminary announcement methods were used. As a result of the experiment for 9 participants, we could not observe a tendency that preliminary announcement methods. The reason might be that the human-robot distance was too far at the initial position and was too near when the robot stopped.

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