Development and verification of a telepresence robot using a trochoid movement mechanism

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K12478
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Human interface and interaction
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: MAEDA TARO 大阪大学, 情報科学研究科, 教授 (00260521)
• Research Collaborator: ANDO Hideyuki ; Kurokawa Masataka ; Miyamoto Hiroki ; Yamaoka Yu
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 全方位移動 / テレプレゼンス / 歩行 / 臨場感の再現 / アバターロボット / 加速度限界設計 / ホロノミック / 車輪走行

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study is an attempt to give the telepresence system a response performance that is not different from its own behavior, by realizing the omnidirectional movement control law that realizes the acceleration performance that is the upper limit of all objects that kick the ground is there. We proposed a wheel traveling mechanism capable of holonomic omnidirectional movement using a trochoidal curvilinear trajectory, and succeeded in formulating a traveling procedure that maximizes holonomic omnidirectional controllability in a wheel-controlled general traveling system. . We also experimented on the reproduction of the presence by telepresence walking in which the full-sized avatar robot was made to follow the walking in the real environment, and measured and evaluated the "walking passing by telepresence" motion and the response results of the other person The reproduction of the same sense of presence as walking was confirmed.

Free Research Field

人間情報工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

高度に普及した通信環境を利用して遠隔地の実空間において自身の代理を勤めるテレプレゼンスロボットは現実的な選択肢となりつつある．しかし現行のテレプレゼンスロボットでは臨場感をもった移動体験を再現出来ていない．この主たる要因は視点・聴点の実時間追従性の欠如にある．ロボットの移動機構においてヒトと同等の動きを可能にするような脚機構ロボットはコストや可制御性の面で実用的でなく，低コストな車輪機構では特殊車輪が必要で接地性や段差に対する走破性には問題があった．本提案の機構は通常車輪を用いて全方位へのホロノミックな高加速度の移動性を実現することでこの問題を解決し，臨場感のあるテレプレゼンス環境を実現する．