Abstract: A sleep onset determination method includes: detecting a light-out time that is a time at which illuminance in a room becomes less than or equal to a predetermined value; storing the light-out time detected in the detecting of the light-out time and a time period including the light-out time detected; and determining whether a user fell asleep at a currently detected light-out time, based on the light-out time and the time period stored in the storing of the light-out time.

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: 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 topic providing device includes a candidate topic extractor, a provided topic determiner, a voice synthesizer, and a speaker. When a determination is made that a parent and child are conversing and that there is a need to provide a new topic to the parent and child, based on a conversation history database and a child activity database storing at least one activity name indicating an activity the child was engaged in for a first predetermined period of time, the candidate topic extractor extracts at least one candidate topic that corresponds to the at least one activity name in the child activity database and does not correspond to an activity name included in text data recorded in a first database. From the at least one candidate topic, the provided topic determiner selects one topic to provide to the parent and the child. The voice synthesizer generates voice data containing the one topic. The speaker outputs the voice data.

Abstract: A method is provided for correcting a dictionary used in a voice processing apparatus. The method includes first extracting a speech of a target speaker from audio collected by a microphone, and estimating a speech phonemic sequence configuring the speech. The method also includes calculating a match degree, using a first dictionary, between the speech phonemic sequence and a first phonemic sequence that corresponds to a first word registered in the first dictionary, and second extracting the first word corresponding to a highest match degree as a spoken word spoken by the target speaker. The method further includes first correcting a second dictionary based on the highest match degree, the second dictionary indicating a relation between a second word and a third word, and second correcting the second dictionary by correcting the relation between the third word matching the spoken word and the second word.

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 includes a control circuit that detects a changing maximum value of a pitch angle, when the robot moves to a predetermined target point by rotating its main body. The control circuit determines a minimum control amount corresponding to the maximum value of the pitch angle, when the robot arrives at a predetermined distance short of the predetermined target point. The control circuit generates a deceleration control amount for the second drive mechanism that is greater than or equal to the minimum control amount, according to a remaining distance to the predetermined target point. The control circuit decelerates the rotation of the main body by controlling the second drive mechanism in accordance with the deceleration control amount.

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 spherical shaped robot with a drive mechanism and a weight drive mechanism is provided. If a distance from the robot to an object is less than a predetermined value, the robot executes a pivot turn mode. In the pivot turn mode, the robot controls the drive mechanism to stop linear movements of the robot, controls the weight drive mechanism to tilt the weight to a first side representing one of the right hand side and left hand side of the robot, controls the drive mechanism to cause a forward movement of the robot with the weight tilted to the first side, controls the drive mechanism to stop the forward movement of the robot, controls the weight drive mechanism to tilt the weight to a second side different from the first side, and controls the drive mechanism to cause a backward movement of the robot with the weight tilted to the second side.

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: A spherical shaped robot with a drive mechanism and a weight drive mechanism is provided. If a distance from the robot to an object is less than a predetermined value, the robot executes a pivot turn mode. In the pivot turn mode, the robot controls the drive mechanism to stop linear movements of the robot, controls the weight drive mechanism to tilt the weight to a first side representing one of the right hand side and left hand side of the robot, controls the drive mechanism to cause a forward movement of the robot with the weight tilted to the first side, controls the drive mechanism to stop the forward movement of the robot, controls the weight drive mechanism to tilt the weight to a second side different from the first side, and controls the drive mechanism to cause a backward movement of the robot with the weight tilted to the second side.

Abstract: A robot includes a control circuit that detects a changing maximum value of a pitch angle, when the robot moves to a predetermined target point by rotating its main body. The control circuit determines a minimum control amount corresponding to the maximum value of the pitch angle, when the robot arrives at a predetermined distance short of the predetermined target point. The control circuit generates a deceleration control amount for the second drive mechanism that is greater than or equal to the minimum control amount, according to a remaining distance to the predetermined target point. The control circuit decelerates the rotation of the main body by controlling the second drive mechanism in accordance with the deceleration control amount.

Abstract: A robot controlled by a control circuit moves to a predetermined target point by rotating its spherical body. The robot detects a value of a pitch angle and then determines a minimum control amount corresponding to the statistical value of the pitch angle. When the robot arrives at a predetermined distance short of the predetermined target point, the control circuit generates a deceleration control amount for a drive mechanism greater than or equal to the minimum control amount. The control circuit then decelerates rotation of the spherical body by controlling the drive mechanism in accordance with the deceleration control amount.

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 topic providing device includes a candidate topic extractor, a provided topic determiner, a voice synthesizer, and a speaker. When a determination is made that a parent and child are conversing and that there is a need to provide a new topic to the parent and child, based on a conversation history database and a child activity database storing at least one activity name indicating an activity the child was engaged in for a first predetermined period of time, the candidate topic extractor extracts at least one candidate topic that corresponds to the at least one activity name in the child activity database and does not correspond to an activity name included in text data recorded in a first database. From the at least one candidate topic, the provided topic determiner selects one topic to provide to the parent and the child. The voice synthesizer generates voice data containing the one topic. The speaker outputs the voice data.

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 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 method is provided for correcting a dictionary used in a voice processing apparatus. The method includes first extracting a speech of a target speaker from audio collected by a microphone, and estimating a speech phonemic sequence configuring the speech. The method also includes calculating a match degree, using a first dictionary, between the speech phonemic sequence and a first phonemic sequence that corresponds to a first word registered in the first dictionary, and second extracting the first word corresponding to a highest match degree as a spoken word spoken by the target speaker. The method further includes first correcting a second dictionary based on the highest match degree, the second dictionary indicating a relation between a second word and a third word, and second correcting the second dictionary by correcting the relation between the third word matching the spoken word and the second word.