Sony Corporation

Other

Yamaguchi, Jinichi

Masakuni Nagano

Kenichiro Nagasaka

Yasunori Kawanami

Satoru Shimizu

Wataru Kokubo

Toshimitsu Tsuboi

Tsutomu Sawada

Keisuke Kato

Akinori Kamoda

Tetsuharu Fukushima

Yasuhide Hosoda

Yoshiaki Iwai

Hiroaki Morikawa

Jinichi Yamaguchi

Akichika Tanaka

Susumu Tosaka

Goushi Koike

D Forrest Matthew

Hirokazu Shirado

A robot apparatus includes a grasping section that grasps an object, a recognition section that recognizes a graspable part and a handing-over area part of the object, and a grasp planning section that plans a path of the grasping section for handing over the object to a recipient by the handing-over area part. The robot apparatus further includes a grasp control section that controls grasp operation of the object by the grasping section in accordance with the planned path.

Robot apparatus and method of controlling robot apparatus

Provided is a robot device including a drive unit including a plurality of links and joints connecting the links, a task instruction input unit for inputting an instruction of a task, a drive control unit for controlling an operation of the drive unit on the basis of the input task and determining a restricted area including a space necessary for the operation of the drive unit, and an area display unit for displaying the restricted area.

Robot device and method of controlling the robot device

A robot apparatus includes: a grasping section configured to grasp an object; a recognition section configured to recognize a graspable part and a handing-over area part of the object; a grasp planning section configured to plan a path of the grasping section for handing over the object to a recipient by the handing-over area part; and a grasp control section configured to control grasp operation of the object by the grasping section in accordance with the planned path.

There is provided an exercise support apparatus including a leg rod connected to a waist region and a foot region of a user and including a linear motion actuator, a waist connecting section configured to connect one end of the leg rod to the waist region, and a foot region connecting section configured to connect the other end of the leg rod to the foot region.

Exercise support apparatus and exercise support method

Robot device, method of controlling the same, and program for controlling the same

Robot apparatus, method of controlling robot apparatus, and computer program

A robot apparatus, method and computer program storage device use a memory that stores cueing point information and user information to assist a user in an external environment. The cueing points are distributed within an environmental map held by the robot apparatus, and when the user is detected by the robot apparatus as approaching a predetermined region within the external environment classified as a cueing point, the robot apparatus reacts by providing a cue to the user. The cue may user-specific, or optionally provided based on a level of care required by the user.

Robot apparatus, information providing method carried out by the robot apparatus and computer storage media

A grasping apparatus includes a base unit, left and right parallel links, and a driving unit that is housed in the base unit and drives the first link of the right parallel link and the first link of the left parallel link in the open/close direction. Each of the left and right parallel links has a first link attached pivotably in an open/close direction about a base shaft of the base unit, a second link attached pivotably in the open/close direction about an auxiliary shaft located on an outer side in the open/close direction, a finger unit supported pivotably at an end of the first link and an end of the second link, and a claw projecting toward the inner side in the open/close direction and disposed along an end face of the grasping surface of the finger unit of each of the left and right parallel links.

Grasping apparatus

A force/tactile display that presents force/tactile sensation that occurs in response to physical interaction with each of a plurality of objects present in a virtual environment includes an action point defined on the mechanical structure, the action point presenting the force/tactile sensation, an applied force control means for controlling the force exerted on the action point, and an action point control means for controlling the position of the action point.

Force/tactile display, method for controlling force/tactile display, and computer program

A path planning device includes: an initial position and posture path acquiring unit which acquires an initial position and posture path including a plurality of nodes connecting present position and posture of a control target to target position and posture and which configures a rigid body corresponding to the control target in each node in the position and posture path; an interference detector which detects interference with the control target by an obstruction; an external force calculator which calculates an external force for each rigid body; and a multi rigid body system dynamics simulation unit which performs a multi rigid body system dynamics simulation on a plurality of equations of rigid body motion and which acquires positions and postures of the control target at times corresponding to the nodes in the position and posture path.

Path planning device, path planning method, and computer program

A contact shape computing apparatus for detecting contact between a plurality of three-dimensional solid models and computing a contact shape between two solid bodies in contact with each other includes the following elements: a collision detector operable to detect a collision or contact between the two solid bodies; a contact plane setting unit operable to define a contact plane that passes through a common region of the two solid bodies; a contact problem solving unit operable to individually solve contact states of the solid bodies with the contact plane as half-contact problems; and a contact shape computing unit operable to compute the contact shape between the two solid bodies by uniting solutions of the half-contact problems for the associated solid bodies, the solutions being obtained by the contact problem solving unit.

Contact shape computing apparatus and method, and computer program therefor

A force/tactile feedback device feeding back a force sense to a fingertip of an operator includes a fingerstall to which the fingertip of the operator is inserted, a position feedback means for feeding back a position to the fingertip held by the fingerstall, a fingertip contact point feedback means for feeding back a fingertip contact point to the fingertip held by the fingerstall and an unnecessary moment removal means for supporting the fingertip contact point feedback means so that unnecessary moment is not generated at a tip portion of the position feedback means.

Force/tactile feedback device

A sound effect generation device for generating a sound effect corresponding to a physical interaction between objects in a virtual space in which a plurality of virtual objects coexists, includes interaction detection means for detecting an object on which the physical interaction occurs in the virtual space, mechanical quantity calculation means for calculating mechanical quantity acting on the object in accordance with the interaction using a mechanical model for determining, based on physics, behavior between the objects on which the physical interaction acts, and sound effect generation means for generating the sound effect caused in the object by the interaction using the calculated mechanical quantity.

Sound effects generation device, sound effects generation method, and computer program product

In a foot of a legged mobile robot, deformation of the foot is absorbed by a first concavity and the position and shape of a ground-contact portion hardly change. Accordingly, variation in a resistive force against the moment about the yaw axis can be reduced and a spinning motion can be prevented. In addition, when the foot is placed on a bump or a step, a flexible portion deforms and receives it, and a frictional retaining force is generated between the flexible portion and the bump. Thus, the foot is flexibly adapted to the road surface, and sliding caused by the bump and excessively fast motion are prevented. Accordingly, the foot can be adapted to various kinds of road surfaces such as surfaces having bumps and depressions, and the attitude stability can be increased.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Masakuni Nagano