Abstract: A keyboard apparatus includes: a key; a hammer assembly; a first member having a step; a second member slidable relative to the first member and configured to be moved in a direction in which the second member moves over the step, when the key is pressed; and a third member configured to guide the second member such that the second member is not located at a distance greater than or equal to a predetermined distance from the first member. The third member has a shape at a region of the third member such that the third member does not contact the second member in a state in which the second member is in contact with the first member. When the second member moves over the step, the region is opposed to the second member in the direction in which the second member moves over the step.

Abstract: A robot includes a main casing, a first spherical cap and a second spherical cap, and a shaft linking the spherical caps. The robot further includes a display, a first driving mechanism causing the first and second spherical caps to be rotated by the shaft, and a second driving mechanism that causes the main casing to be rotated. The robot also includes a control circuit and an electric power source, charged by electric power from an external charger. If the remaining electric power of the electric power source is lower than or equal to a predetermined value, the second driving mechanism is controlled to stop rotation of the main casing, and the first driving mechanism is controlled to switch a rotational direction of the first spherical cap and the second spherical cap, causing the display to be reciprocally moved in a vertical direction.

Abstract: A display method including: performing (S10) a service application that is an application for at lease one of services of a specific event, using an information terminal; obtaining (S11) a plurality of event information items by the information terminal through visible light communication with a display that displays the event information items, the information terminal being held toward a screen of the display; and displaying (S12), when the event information items obtained in the obtaining (S11) include related information, the related information on a display unit of the information terminal, the related information being information related to contents of the at least one of the services.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus includes: a key disposed to be pivotable with respect to a frame; a hammer assembly disposed to be pivotable in response to pivotal movement of the key; a first member; a second member disposed to be slid and moved on the first member when the hammer assembly pivots in response to pivotal movement of the key; and a third member connected to the first member and configured to guide the second member such that the second member is not located at a distance greater than or equal to a predetermined distance from the first member, the third member having a shape in which a second contact area that is an area of contact between the second member and the third member is less than a first contact area that is an area of contact between the first member and the second member.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus includes: a key disposed so as to be pivotable with respect to a frame; a first member, an elastic member being disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the first member; a second member configured to be moved on the elastic member while elastically deforming the elastic member in response to pivotal movement of the key; and a hammer assembly connected to the key via the first member and the second member so as to pivot in response to pivotal movement of the key.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus includes: a key; a hammer assembly; a first member having a step; a second member slidable relative to the first member and configured to be moved in a direction in which the second member moves over the step, when the key is pressed; and a third member configured to guide the second member such that the second member is not located at a distance greater than or equal to a predetermined distance from the first member. The third member has a shape at a region of the third member such that the third member does not contact the second member in a state in which the second member is in contact with the first member. When the second member moves over the step, the region is opposed to the second member in the direction in which the second member moves over the step.

Abstract: A robot includes a range finding sensor that measures a distance from the robot to an object facing a display each time the range finding sensor rotates through a predetermined angle. If a difference between a first distance previously measured and a second distance subsequently measured is a first predetermined value or greater, information is stored in a memory to indicate that a down-step is located in a direction defined by a turning angle of the robot when the first distance is measured at a position that is separated from the robot by the first distance. When rotating and moving the main casing in a direction in which the down-step is located, the robot is caused to make a pivot turn first. Subsequently, the main casing is rotated to move in the direction in which the down-step is located by a distance smaller than the first distance.

Abstract: An MD management device manages action statistics associated with each of a plurality of shelving units. Action statistics for one shelving unit indicate actions that store visitors make near the shelving unit. An information terminal device acquires, from the MD management device merchandising information for each shelving unit. Merchandising information for one shelving unit includes a value of statistics for the shelving unit. The information terminal device displays a store screen including one or more shelving unit icons each representing one of one or more shelving units located in a store. Further, the information terminal device displays a graphic item in the vicinity of each shelving unit icon. The graphic item is displayed in a display state that is in accordance with the value of statistics for the corresponding shelving unit.

Abstract: If an interaction target includes a child and an adult, and if an interaction amount is greater than or equal to a threshold, a robot asks the adult if the adult allows the robot to continue interacting with the child. If the target includes the child and the adult, and if the interaction amount is less than the threshold, the robot requests to the adult that the adult and the child continue interacting with the robot. If the target includes only the child, and if the interaction amount is greater than or equal to the threshold, the robot stops interacting with the child. If the target includes only the child, and if the interaction amount is less than the threshold, the robot leads the child to continue interacting with the robot.

Abstract: If an interaction target includes a child and adult, if a remaining power amount is less than or equal to a first threshold, and if an interaction amount is greater than or equal to a second threshold, a robot asks the adult if the adult allows the robot to move to a charger. If the target includes the child and adult, if the remaining power amount is less than or equal to the first threshold, and if the interaction amount is less than the second threshold, the robot asks the child if the child allows the robot to move to the charger. If the target includes only the child, if the remaining power amount is less than or equal to the first threshold, and if the interaction amount is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the robot moves to the charger. If the target includes only the child, if the remaining power amount is greater than the first threshold, and if the interaction amount is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the robot stops interacting with the child.

Abstract: If an interaction target includes a child and an adult, if a remaining power amount is less than or equal to a first threshold, and if an interaction amount is greater than or equal to a second threshold, a robot requests the adult to move the robot to a charger. If the target includes the child and the adult, if the remaining power amount is less than or equal to the first threshold, and if the interaction amount is less than the second threshold, the robot requests the child to move the robot to the charger. If the target includes only the child, if the remaining power amount is greater than the first threshold, and if the interaction amount is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the robot stops interacting with the child.

Abstract: A robot is provided. When a value obtained by excluding a gravitational component from an acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor is continuously less than a reference value for a certain time, a travelling state of the robot is determined as frictional surface travelling. A control circuit calculates an attitude angle of the robot from an angular velocity in a pitch direction, which is detected by an angular velocity sensor. When the calculated attitude angle is a lower limit angle or more for a determination time, the control circuit sets the attitude angle at the end of the determination time as an attitude control angle. When the travelling state of the robot is determined as the frictional surface travelling, the control circuit moves a counterweight frontward by a movement amount corresponding to the attitude control angle.

Abstract: In a robot, after a first value indicating acceleration in the up-and-down axis direction output from an acceleration sensor exceeds a certain threshold value, when any of the first value indicating the acceleration in the up-and-down axis direction, a second value indicating the acceleration in the front-and-back axis direction, and a third value indicating the acceleration in the left-and-right axis direction is determined to exhibit variation exceeding a certain width for a fixed period, the robot determines that a housing of the robot is being held by a user.

Abstract: A robot including a spherical housing made up of a main housing portion, a first spherical cap portion, and a second spherical cap portion. The main housing portion is disposed between the first spherical cap portion and the second spherical cap portion. The robot further including a weight that is provided in the main housing portion and configured to rotate around a pivot that is orthogonal to a shaft connecting the spherical cap portions. When outputting a response to an input instruction received from a user, via an input device, based on a predetermined processing is determined to require a predetermined time or more, a robot controls a first drive mechanism during the predetermined processing such that the first drive mechanism rotates a weight around the pivot to reciprocally move the weight in the opposite directions of the pivot.

Abstract: A robot having a spherical casing, a control circuit and a communication circuit configured to connect to an external server is provided. The robot further includes a set of wheels included in the spherical casing, which comes into contact with an inner surface of the spherical casing and configured to rotate the spherical casing when the driving wheels are driven. The control circuit is configured to, when determining that performing a predetermined processing in response to an input instruction received from a user requires a predetermined amount of time or more, causes each of the set of driving wheels to rotate in opposite directions from each other to rotate the spherical casing during the predetermined processing. When the predetermined processing is complete and a response is to be output, the control circuit stops rotation of the spherical casing with the set of wheels facing toward the user.

Abstract: A robot having a spherical casing, a weight driving mechanism, and a rotating mechanism is provided. The robot further includes a control circuit that controls the weight driving mechanism and the rotating mechanism is also provided. The control circuit is configured to, when responding to an input instruction received from a user, based on a predetermined processing that requires a predetermined amount of time or more to respond to an input instruction by a user input via an input device, cause the weight driving mechanism to be rotated to where a guide path of the weight driving mechanism is positioned to be orthogonal to an advancing direction by a set of driving wheels. The control circuit is further configured to cause the weight to be reciprocally move along the guide path that is positioned orthogonal to the advancing direction, during the predetermined processing.

Abstract: A content control method according to the present disclosure includes: obtaining first content file information including attribute information items each on one of first content files which belong to a first content file group; obtaining second content file information including attribute information items each on one of second content files which belong to a second content file group; narrowing down the first content files, the narrowed-down first content files each having an attribute information item satisfying a condition which is set based on the first content file information and the second content file information; and identifying a first content file and a second content file which are partially or entirely same by matching entity information items each on one of the second content files and entity information items each on one or more of the narrowed-down first content files as matching targets.

Abstract: A method for controlling a mobile terminal that controls lighting devices that illuminate spaces, the terminal including a display and a memory. The method causes a computer of the terminal to obtain current time information, rearrange scene icons, using the memory that stores scenes indicating illumination states established by the lighting devices and scene time information indicating times of the scenes, while associating the scenes and the scene time information with each other. The scene icons correspond to the scenes based on the current time information and the scene time information. The rearranged scene icons are displayed on the display, and, when a scene icon is selected, a control signal for controlling the lighting devices is transmitted to the lighting devices, so that the spaces are illuminated in an illumination state indicated by a scene corresponding to the selected scene icon.

Abstract: An information display method is disclosed in a control system in which a lighting mode is selected from among a plurality of lighting modes, and lighting equipment is controlled at a lighting target area in accordance with the selected lighting mode. The method comprising: generating each of the merchandising values representing an index for evaluating a performance of at least one store; classifying each of the merchandising values in according with each of time periods; obtaining lighting mode information from the control system, the lighting mode information indicating the lighting mode selected in each of the time periods; and transmitting to the terminal device, each of the classified merchandising values and each pieces of the obtained lighting mode information corresponding to each of the classified merchandising values, in each of the time periods.

Abstract: A robot includes a main casing, a first spherical cap and a second spherical cap, and a shaft linking the spherical caps. The robot further includes a display, a first driving mechanism causing the first and second spherical caps to be rotated by the shaft, and a second driving mechanism that causes the main casing to be rotated. The robot also includes a control circuit and an electric power source, charged by electric power from an external charger. If the remaining electric power of the electric power source is lower than or equal to a predetermined value, the second driving mechanism is controlled to stop rotation of the main casing, and the first driving mechanism is controlled to switch a rotational direction of the first spherical cap and the second spherical cap, causing the display to be reciprocally moved in a vertical direction.