SMARTPHONE AND INTERNET SERVICE ENABLED ROBOT SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20130268119A1
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tovbot, Georgia Tech Research Corporation (University System of Georgia)
• Original Assignee: Tovbot
• Inventors: WEINBERG, GIL, CAMPBELL, IAN, HOFFMAN, GUY, AIMI, ROBERTO
• Application Number:
  US13/661,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20130268119A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/264
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0005 Manipulators having means for high-level communication with users, e.g. speech generator, face recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/19 characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path

Abstract

Robots, robot systems, and methods may interact with users. Data from a sensor may be received by a processor associated with a robot. The processor may determine a user input based on the data from the sensor. The processor may send the user input to a remote service via a communication device. The processor may receive command data from the remote service via the communication device. The processor may cause an expressive element to perform an action corresponding to the command data.

Claims

1. A robot comprising:

a robot body comprising an expressive element;

a processor in communication with the expressive element; and

a communication device disposed in the robot body and in communication with the processor, the communication device configured to establish a communication link with a mobile computing device;

wherein

the processor is configured to;

receive data from a sensor;

determine a user input based on the data from the sensor;

send the user input to a remote service via the communication device;

receive command data from the remote service via the communication device; and

cause the expressive element to perform an action corresponding to the command data.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein the processor is disposed in the robot body.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein the expressive element comprises a movable part and an actuator, a speaker system, and/or a light element.

4. The robot of claim 3, wherein the movable part comprises a head, a neck, a foot, and/or a hand.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine the user input by:

determining a user input type based on the data from the sensor; and

determining musical data based on the user input type and the data from the sensor.

6. The robot of claim 5, wherein the user input type comprises a rhythmic user input and/or a rhythmic and tonal user input.

7. The robot of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to determine the musical data by:

detecting a rhythm from the data from the sensor when the user input is a rhythmic user input; and

detecting a rhythm and tone determined from the data from the sensor when the user input is a rhythmic and tonal user input.

8. The robot of claim 1, wherein:

the command data comprises data identifying a song; and

the processor is configured to cause the expressive element to play the song.

9. The robot of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the expressive element to perform an action when the song ends.

10. The robot of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the expressive element to perform an action when the communication link with a mobile computing device is established.

11. The robot of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the data from the sensor to identify a positive user reaction and/or a negative user reaction.

12. The robot of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

cause the expressive element to perform a first action corresponding to the determined user reaction when the positive user reaction is identified; and

cause the expressive element to perform a second action corresponding to the determined user reaction when the negative user reaction is identified.

13. The robot of claim 12, wherein:

the second action comprises stopping play of a song; and

the processor is further configured to send the user input to the remote service via the communication device, receive new command data from the remote service via the communication device, and cause the expressive element to perform an action corresponding to the new command data when the negative user reaction is identified.

14. The robot of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to store a user preference based on the identified positive user reaction and/or negative user reaction.

15. The robot of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to store the user preference by sending the user preference to the remote service.

16. A robot system comprising:

a robot body comprising;

a first processor;

an expressive element in communication with the first processor;

a speaker system; and

a first communication device in communication with the first processor;

a mobile computing device comprising;

a second processor; and

a second communication device in communication with the second processor, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device are configured to establish a communication link with one another; and

a sensor disposed in the robot body and/or the mobile computing device;

wherein the first processor and/or the second processor is configured to;

receive data from the sensor;

determine a user input type based on the data from the sensor;

generate musical data based on the user input type and the data from the sensor;

send the musical data to a remote service;

receive data identifying a song from the remote service;

cause the speaker system to play the song; and

cause the expressive element to perform an action corresponding to the song.

17. The robot system of claim 16, wherein the expressive element comprises a movable part and an actuator and/or a light element.

18. The robot system of claim 16, wherein the movable part comprises a head, a neck, a foot, and/or a hand.

19. The robot system of claim 16, wherein the sensor is disposed in the robot body.

20. The robot system of claim 16, wherein the sensor is disposed in the mobile computing device.

21. The robot system of claim 16, wherein:

the sensor comprises an audio sensor and/or a video sensor; and

the data from the sensor comprises audio data and/or video data.

22. The robot system of claim 16, wherein the user input type comprises a rhythmic user input and/or a rhythmic and tonal user input.

23. The robot system of claim 22, wherein the first processor and/or the second processor is configured to generate the musical data by:

detecting a rhythm from the data from the sensor when the user input is a rhythmic user input; and

detecting a rhythm and tone determined from the data from the sensor when the user input is a rhythmic and tonal user input.

24. The robot system of claim 16, wherein the first processor and/or the second processor is further configured to cause the expressive element to perform an action when the communication link is established and/or when the song ends.

25. The robot system of claim 16, wherein the first processor and/or the second processor is further configured to analyze the data from the sensor when the song is playing to identify a positive user reaction and/or a negative user reaction.

26. The robot system of claim 25, wherein the first processor and/or the second processor is further configured to:

cause the expressive element to perform an action corresponding to the determined user reaction when the positive user reaction is identified; and

stop the song, send the musical data to the remote service, receive data identifying a second song from the remote service, cause the speaker system to play the second song, and cause the expressive element to perform an action corresponding to the second song when the negative user reaction is identified.

27. The robot system of claim 25, wherein the first processor and/or the second processor is further configured to store a user song preference based on the identified positive user reaction and/or negative user reaction.

28. The robot system of claim 27, wherein the first processor and/or the second processor is configured to store the user song preference by sending the user song preference to the remote service.

29. The robot system of claim 16, further comprising the remote service, the remote service comprising:

a song information database;

a third communication device configured to communicate with the first communication device and/or the second communication device; and

a third processor in communication with the song information database and the third communication device, the third processor being configured to;

receive the musical data via the third communication device;

analyze the musical data to identify a song associated with the musical data;

retrieve the data identifying the song from the song information database; and

cause the third communication device to send the data identifying the song to the first communication device and/or the second communication device.

30. The robot system of claim 29, wherein:

the remote service further comprises a user preference database in communication with the third processor; and

the third processor is further configured to receive a user song preference via the third communication device and store the user song preference in the user preference database.

31. A method comprising:

receiving, with a processor associated with a robot, data from a sensor;

determining, with the processor, a user input based on the data from the sensor;

sending, with the processor, the user input to a remote service via a communication device;

receiving, with the processor, command data from the remote service via the communication device; and

causing, with the processor, an expressive element to perform an action corresponding to the command data.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein causing the expressive element of the robot to perform an action comprises causing an actuator to move a movable part, causing a speaker system to produce an audio signal, and/or lighting a light element.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the movable part comprises a head, a neck, a foot, and/or a hand.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the data from the sensor comprises audio data and/or video data.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein determining the user input comprises:

determining a user input type based on the data from the sensor; and

determining musical data based on the user input type and the data from the sensor.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the user input type comprises a rhythmic user input and/or a rhythmic and tonal user input.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein determining the musical data comprises:

detecting a rhythm from the data from the sensor when the user input is a rhythmic user input; and

detecting a rhythm and tone determined from the data from the sensor when the user input is a rhythmic and tonal user input.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein:

the command data comprises data identifying a song; and

causing the expressive element to perform the action comprises causing the expressive element to play the song.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising causing the expressive element to perform an action when the song ends.

40. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

detecting, with the processor, establishment of a communication link between a robot body associated with the robot and a mobile computing device associated with the robot; and

causing, with the processor, the expressive element to perform an action when the communication link is detected.

41. The method of claim 31, further comprising analyzing, with the processor, the data from the sensor to identify a positive user reaction and/or a negative user reaction.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

causing, with the processor, the expressive element to perform a first action corresponding to the determined user reaction when the positive user reaction is identified; and

causing, with the processor, the expressive element to perform a second action corresponding to the determined user reaction when the negative user reaction is identified.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein:

the second action comprises stopping play of a song; and

the method further comprises sending, with the processor, the user input to the remote service via the communication device, receiving, with the processor, new command data from the remote service via the communication device, and causing, with the processor, the expressive element to perform an action corresponding to the new command data when the negative user reaction is identified.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising storing, with the processor, a user preference based on the identified positive user reaction and/or negative user reaction.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein storing the user preference comprises sending the user preference to the remote service.

46. The method of claim 31, wherein the processor comprises a first processor disposed in a robot body associated with the robot and/or a second processor disposed in a mobile computing device associated with the robot.