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╯What PtoPA is aiming for in our Robots |
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Most robots which enterprises have been developing perform some sort of action involving the transportation of objects. PtoPA, however, possesses neither such technical know-how nor such a research team.
What greatly distinguishes our robots from such conventional robots is our technology that enables robots to carry on a conversation, or CAIWA. We have considered the possibility of realizing Communication Robots, which can not only ﹍converse﹎ but ﹍enjoy conversing﹎ by combining our CAIWA system and robots.
﹍converse﹎ but ﹍enjoy conversing﹎ by combining our CAIWA system and robots.
What is essential for robots that enjoy conversations is essentially voice recognition technology. It would be unsatisfactory for the users if their utterances were analyzed to completely different sentences and totally unexpected responses were returned. Such robots, failing to recognize users words, respond, ﹍What did you say?﹎
We also hope to avoid the phenomenon which can be observed in conventional robots whereby they correctly analyze the user﹊s speech but do not develop to assumed conversations unless certain key words are included in the speech. In order to establish a ﹍conversation﹎ in its true sense, it should not end when the robot returns his answer to the user﹊s question but there should be some mechanism that also enables the robot to respond again to whatever answers the user returns to robot﹊s response.
Furthermore, we feel it is necessary to provide some visual technology such as ﹍face recognition﹎ that memorizes users﹊ faces, in addition to the voice/conversation technology aspect. We think facial expressions also play an important role in communication.
Wouldn﹊t it be so much fun if there were robots, when spoken to, that smile at the user, saying, ﹍Hi, XX! How are you?﹎ upon recognizing the users faces.
We also feel that ﹍emotions﹎ are part of communication between people. Depending on expressions, tone of voice, contents of speech, people become happy or sad and such feelings are expressed. Based on the stimuli created by users﹊ words and expressions, the robots can judge such emotions. A more profound conversation can be carried on if, for example, the robot expresses ﹍anger﹎ with a raised tone of voice, and ﹍happiness﹎ by talking with a smile.
In order to actualize such robots, PtoPA strives to create ﹍Communication Robots﹎ with our technology as introduced below:
High quality voice recognition technology and flexible conversation mechanisms; mechanisms that can identify faces of the ﹍CAIWA﹎ system users: image processing systems
Mechanisms forming facial expressions: eyebrows, eyelid, mouth and neck movements
Mechanisms governing emotions: emotion model |
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CAIWA Robot
Voice Recognition
Voice Recognition