IROS 2022 was held from October 23 to 27, 2022, in Kyoto, Japan.
IROS (IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems) is an international conference on robotics established in 1988 in Japan and now one of the two top international conference in intelligent robots and automation.
At this year’s conference, which was held in person for the first time in two years, Sony gave a booth exhibition and video demos to present its technologies. The Sony booth attracted many visitors from abroad as well, who enjoyed a hands-on experience with robotics and asked about this technology.
Sony Booth Demos at the venue
Disclaimer: This video contains computer graphic of surgical simulation and may not be suitable for all audiences
Click here for the description of the video content.
Regarding the robots exhibited at the Sony booth,
here are five themes that are related to the R&D Center.
Mobile Manipulator
This manipulator has a hand that can hold an object with a delicate force according to simple instructions from the user without getting information on the weight of the object, friction, etc. in advance. The technical feature of this manipulator is that its hand is equipped with multiple sensors developed by Sony. The distance sensor enables the manipulator to precisely locate an object, and then the tactile sensor predicts slip. We gave a demo in which the manipulator approached an object accurately and gently held the fragile object, such as a flower or cake, without damaging it.
We got positive comments on the concept and sensor technology from visitors, many of whom asked us to bring to market the sensors, hand, and manipulator. The enormous feedback made us realize the role that businesses were expected to play in the field of robotics.
Related Link
IROS2022 Sony’s special site ｜ Mobile Manipulator
Related Publications
1. T. Narita, S.Nagakari, W.Conus, T.Tsuboi, K.Nagasaka, Theoretical Derivation and Realization of Adaptive Grasping Based on Rotational Incipient Slip Detection, 2020 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 31 May - 31 August, 2020. Paris, France, pp.531-537
2. R.Terasawa, Y.Ariki, T.Narihira, T.Tsuboi, K.Nagasaka, 3D-CNN Based Heuristic Guided Task-Space Planner for Faster Motion Planning, 2020 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 31 May - 31 August, 2020. Paris, France, pp.9548-9554
User-centered Manipulator
We exhibited our lightweight manipulator, capable of moving flexibly and safely in the vicinity of people, installed on a commercial electric wheelchair for living assistance for the disabled. At the booth, an engineer sitting in a wheelchair operated the manipulator to give a demo of dining assistance involving such acts as holding a cup on the desk and carrying it to the mouth.
We got particularly huge feedback from visitors, who asked us a lot of questions about the price of the manipulator, the planned launch date, and so on. Some wanted us to put the actuator on the market immediately. We have not yet decided when to release this manipulator and actuator. But knowing that it is difficult for the university laboratory basis to develop hardware so integrated and optimized made us realize the role that businesses should play in research and development.
Related Link
IROS2022 Sony’s special site ｜ User-centered Manipulator
Related Publications
1. K. Nagasaka, A. Miyamoto, M. Nagano, H. Shirado, T. Fukushima, M. Fujita, “Motion Control of a Virtual Humanoid that can Perform Real Physical Interactions with a Human”, 2008 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Nice, France, September 22-26, 2008, pp. 2303-2310
2. K.Nagasaka, Y.Kawanami, S.Shimizu, T.Kito, T.Tsuboi, A.Miyamoto, T.Fukushima and H.Shimomura, Whole-body Cooperative Force Control for a Two-Armed and Two-Wheeled Mobile Robot Using Generalized Inverse Dynamics and Idealized Joint Units, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Anchorage Convention District, Anchorage, Alaska, USA, May 3-8, 2010, pp.3377-3383
Nursing Robot
This is a child-type robot intended for nursing home users that is capable of monitoring individuals in a shared living room and assisting in recreational activities. Designed to look like a child, the robot is easy to familiarize with even for people with dementia who easily get scared or have difficulty trying new things. The robot communicates with users based on the nursing care technique called "Humanitude." First, the robot addresses a user from a short distance away and then proceeds with the conversation in plain language while getting closer to the user little by little and keeping eye contact.
Visitors acted as nursing home users in the demonstration and enjoyed having simple chats and singing "Edelweiss" with the robot. The adorable eyes and voice unique to a child seemed to make the visitors feel at ease. Some of them approached the robot to offer heartfelt greetings. A lot of people from different countries felt the value of this robot that could contribute to providing support for a super-aging society and care for dementia patients.
Related Link
Physically-Photo-Realistic Surgical Simulator
The surgical simulator was unveiled for the first time at this conference. A participant can have a realistic surgical operation experience by operating haptic devices with both hands while viewing ray tracing-based realistic virtual images. The new real-time physics simulation technology developed by the R&D Center simulates deformations of soft objects. The technology also calculates the force generated from the contact with instruments and provides force feedback to both hands, thus allowing the user to simulate a surgical procedure and get a realistic feel.
A surgical simulator capable of handling soft tissues like the human body is not yet available on the market. The visitors who actually used our simulator were stunned by the realistic feel and visual that it provided, and some of them did not notice that the video used computer graphics.
Related Link
IROS2022 Sony’s special site ｜ Physically-Photo-Realistic Surgical Simulator
Camera Robot
We are developing this camera robot using Sony’s robotics platform. At a live concert, for example, the robot moves on the stage and shoots a video of artists, enabling a new type of camerawork that is immersive and full of impact. Its operational tools let you create an environment map and shooting scenarios for the robot with ease. We gave demos at our booth to show how easy it is to set up the rails and zoom and other settings using the operational tools, as well as the functions to shoot the subjects while following their movement and to autonomously and safely stop the robot as it comes close to an obstacle. The camera robot shot videos of visitors by controlling the cart and camera in tandem with their movements. The visitors praised the robot as a cool, superb product that only Sony can deliver.
