ROBOT CONTROL SYSTEM, ROBOT, PROGRAM, AND INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20110118870A1
• Filed: 09/01/2008
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Shimizu, Hideki, Kasai, Tsuneharu, Fukushima, Nobuto, Tatsuta, Seiji, Iba, Yoichi, Sugihara, Ryohei
• Application Number:
  US12/676,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20110118870A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 11/20 with pairs of legs, e.g. horses
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour

Abstract

A robot control system includes a user information acquisition section (12) that acquires user information that is obtained based on sensor information from at least one of a behavior sensor that measures a behavior of a user, a condition sensor that measures a condition of the user, and an environment sensor that measures an environment of the user, a presentation information determination section (14) that determines presentation information that is presented to the user by the robot based on the acquired user information, and a robot control section (30) that controls the robot to present the presentation information to the user. The user information acquisition section (12) acquires second user information that is the user information about a second user, and the presentation information determination section (14) determines the presentation information presented to a first user based on the acquired second user information. The robot control section (30) causes the robot to present the presentation information determined based on the second user information to the first user.

Claims

1. A robot control system that controls a robot, the robot control system comprising:

a user information acquisition section that acquires user information that is obtained based on sensor information from at least one of a behavior sensor that measures a behavior of a user, a condition sensor that measures a condition of the user, and an environment sensor that measures an environment of the user;

a presentation information determination section that determines presentation information presented to the user by the robot based on the acquired user information; and

a robot control section that controls the robot to present the presentation information to the user,

the user information acquisition section acquiring second user information that is the user information about a second user;

the presentation information determination section determining the presentation information presented to a first user based on the acquired second user information; and

the robot control section causing the robot to present the presentation information determined based on the second user information to the first user.

2. The robot control system as defined in claim 1,

the user information acquisition section acquiring first user information that is the user information about the first user, and the second user information that is the user information about the second user;

and

the presentation information determination section determining the presentation information presented to the first user based on the acquired first user information and the acquired second user information.

3. The robot control system as defined in claim 2,

the presentation information determination section determining a presentation timing of the presentation information based on the first user information, and determining a content of the presentation information based on the second user information;

and

the robot control section causing the robot to present the presentation information having the determined content to the first user at the determined presentation timing.

4. The robot control system as defined in claim 2,

the presentation information determination section changing weighting of the first user information and weighting of the second user information when determining the presentation information presented to the first user with the passage of time.

5. The robot control system as defined in claim 4, further comprising:

an event determination section that determines occurrence of an available event that indicates that the robot is available to the first user,

the presentation information determination section increasing the weighting of the first user information while decreasing the weighting of the second user information when determining the presentation information when the available event has occurred, and then decreasing the weighting of the first user information while increasing the weighting of the second user information.

6. The robot control system as defined in claim 1,

the presentation information determination section determining the presentation information that is subsequently presented to the first user by the robot based on a reaction of the first user to the presentation information that has been presented by the robot.

7. The robot control system as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

a contact state determination section that determines a contact state on a sensing surface of the robot,

the presentation information determination section determining whether the first user has stroked or hit the robot as the reaction of the first user to the presentation information presented by the robot based on the determination result of the contact state determination section, and determining the presentation information that is subsequently presented to the first user.

8. The robot control system as defined in claim 7,

the contact state determination section determining the contact state on the sensing surface based on output data obtained by performing a calculation process on an output signal from a microphone provided under the sensing surface.

9. The robot control system as defined in claim 8,

the output data being a signal strength;

and

the contact state determination section comparing the signal strength with a given threshold value to determine whether the first user has stroked or hit the robot.

10. The robot control system as defined in claim 1,

the presentation information determination section determining the presentation information presented to the first user so that a first robot and a second robot present different types of presentation information based on the identical acquired second user information.

11. The robot control system as defined in claim 10,

the first robot being set as a master, and the second robot being set as a slave;

and

the presentation information determination section that is provided in the master-side first robot instructing the slave-side second robot to present the presentation information to the first user.

12. The robot control system as defined in claim 11, further comprising:

a communication section that transmits instruction information from the master-side first robot to the slave-side second robot, the instruction information instructing presentation of the presentation information.

13. The robot control system as defined in claim 1,

the user information acquisition section acquiring the second user information about the second user through a network;

and

the presentation information determination section determining the presentation information presented to the first user based on the second user information acquired through the network.

14. The robot control system as defined in claim 1,

the user information acquisition section acquiring second user historical information as the second user information, the second user historical information being at least one of a behavior history, a condition history, and an environment history of the second user;

and

the presentation information determination section determining the presentation information presented to the first user by the robot based on the acquired second user historical information.

15. The robot control system as defined in claim 14,

the second user historical information being information that is updated based on sensor information from a wearable sensor of the second user.

16. The robot control system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a user identification section that identifies a user who has approached the robot,

the robot control section causing the robot to present the presentation information to the first user when the user identification section has determined that the first user has approached the robot.

17. The robot control system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a presentation permission determination information storage section that stores presentation permission determination information that indicates whether or not to allow information presentation between users,

the presentation information determination section determining the presentation information presented to the first user based on the second user information when the presentation information determination section has determined that information presentation between the first user and the second user is allowed based on the presentation permission determination information.

18. The robot control system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a scenario data storage section that stores scenario data that includes a plurality of phrases as the presentation information,

the presentation information determination section determining a phrase spoken to the first user by the robot based on the scenario data; and

the robot control section causing the robot to speak the determined phrase.

19. The robot control system as defined in claim 18,

the scenario data storage section storing the scenario data in which a plurality of phrases are linked by a branched structure;

and

the presentation information determination section determining a phrase that is subsequently spoken by the robot based on a reaction of the first user to the phrase that has been spoken by the robot.

20. The robot control system as defined in claim 18, further comprising:

a scenario data acquisition section that acquires scenario data created based on a reaction of the second user to the phrase spoken by the robot,

the presentation information determination section determining a phrase spoken to the first user by the robot based on the scenario data acquired based on the reaction of the second user.

21. The robot control system as defined in claim 18,

the presentation information determination section determining a phrase spoken to the first user so that a first robot and a second robot speak different phrases based on the identical acquired second user information;

and

the robot control system further comprising a speak right control section that controls whether to give a next phrase speak right to the first robot or the second robot based on a reaction of the first user to the phrase that has been spoken by the robot.

22. The robot control system as defined in claim 21,

the speak right control section determining a robot to which the next phrase speak right is given, based on whether the first user has made a positive reaction or a negative reaction to a phrase spoken by the first robot or the second robot.

23. A robot comprising:

the robot control system as defined in claim 1; and

a robot motion mechanism that is a control target of the robot control system.

24. A robot control program, the program causing a computer to function as:

a user information acquisition section that acquires user information that is obtained based on sensor information from at least one of a behavior sensor that measures a behavior of a user, a condition sensor that measures a condition of the user, and an environment sensor that measures an environment of the user;

a presentation information determination section that determines presentation information presented to the user by the robot based on the acquired user information; and

a robot control section that controls the robot to present the presentation information to the user,

the user information acquisition section acquiring second user information that is the user information about a second user;

the presentation information determination section determining the presentation information presented to a first user based on the acquired second user information; and

the robot control section causes the robot to present the presentation information determined based on the second user information to the first user.

25. A computer-readable information storage medium storing the program as defined in claim 24.