Development of Human-Symbiotic Robot “EMIEW” – Design Concept and System Construction

We are developing a robot that will support people in their daily lives, i.e., a human-symbiotic robot. This kind of robot is required to coexist with users, be user friendly, and be capable of supporting them. As a first step to achieving the last goal, we have developed an autonomous mobile robot that makes use of a self-balancing two-wheeled mobility system and a body swing mechanism to shift its center of gravity. This allows it to move nimbly at up to six kilometers per hour. It also has capabilities that enable it to avoid collisions with obstacles and move safely through complex environments. It is able to interact with people naturally without special tools by means of distant-speech recognition and high-quality speech-synthesis technologies. These capabilities were demonstrated at the 2005 World Exposition Aichi Japan.