Abstract: This control device has: a user information acquisition unit which acquires first user posture information that indicates the posture of a first user operating a robot; a pre-change robot information acquisition unit which, on the basis of the first user posture information, acquires pre-change posture information, which indicates the posture of the robot before the posture of the robot is changed; and a determination unit which determines, as the posture of the robot, a target posture, which is different from the posture of the first user, on the basis of the pre-change posture information and the first user posture information that is acquired by the user information acquisition unit at the time when the robot took the pre-change posture indicated by the pre-change posture information.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a terminal device has: a transmission unit which transmits, to a robot, operator state information indicating the state of a user operating the robot; a receiving unit which receives, from the robot, robot state information indicating the state of the robot; a sensation imparting unit which imparts a predetermined sensation to the user; and a control unit which, when a delay time required for the receiving unit to receive the robot state information after the transmission unit transmits the operator state information is no longer than a predetermined time, controls the sensation imparting unit so as to impart a sensation based on the robot state information to the user, and when the delay time is longer than the predetermined time, controls the sensation imparting unit to impart, to the user, a sensation based on virtual state information that indicates an estimated robot state.

Abstract: The purpose is to provide a tactile information conversion device, a tactile information conversion method, and a tactile information conversion program, which are usable for general purposes by presenting or sensing an arbitrary tactile feeling. In order to provide tactile information to an output unit capable of outputting physical quantities including electricity, force, temperature, vibration, and/or time and space, at least two or more of the physical quantities are selected according to a tactile feeling to be presented, tactile information for presenting the predetermined tactile feeling is generated based on the physical quantities that have been selected, and the tactile information that has been generated is output to the output unit.

Abstract: The purpose is to provide a tactile information conversion device, a tactile information conversion method, and a tactile information conversion program, which are usable for general purposes by presenting or sensing an arbitrary tactile feeling. In order to provide tactile information to an output unit capable of outputting physical quantities including electricity, force, temperature, vibration, and/or time and space, at least two or more of the physical quantities are selected according to a tactile feeling to be presented, tactile information for presenting the predetermined tactile feeling is generated based on the physical quantities that have been selected, and the tactile information that has been generated is output to the output unit.

Abstract: The purpose is to provide a tactile information conversion device, a tactile information conversion method, and a tactile information conversion program, which are usable for general purposes by presenting or sensing an arbitrary tactile feeling. In order to provide tactile information to an output unit capable of outputting physical quantities including electricity, force, temperature, vibration, and/or time and space, at least two or more of the physical quantities are selected according to a tactile feeling to be presented, tactile information for presenting the predetermined tactile feeling is generated based on the physical quantities that have been selected, and the tactile information that has been generated is output to the output unit.

Abstract: The purpose is to provide a device, method and program for tactile information conversion, and an element arrangement structure for presenting a plurality of types of stimuli that are capable of presenting a plurality of types of stimuli at one point in a concentrated manner from different points. One of the features is to determine a first stimulation point at which a first type of tactile stimulus is generated or generate the first type of tactile stimulus at the first stimulation point via the output unit and output tactile information for generating a second type of tactile stimulus via the output unit to the output unit at a second stimulation point separated within a temporally and/or spatially predetermined threshold value from the first stimulation point of the first type of tactile stimulus that has been determined or generated by a first stimulation unit.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a terminal device has: a transmission unit which transmits, to a robot, operator state information indicating the state of a user operating the robot; a receiving unit which receives, from the robot, robot state information indicating the state of the robot; a sensation imparting unit which imparts a predetermined sensation to the user; and a control unit which, when a delay time required for the receiving unit to receive the robot state information after the transmission unit transmits the operator state information is no longer than a predetermined time, controls the sensation imparting unit so as to impart a sensation based on the robot state information to the user, and when the delay time is longer than the predetermined time, controls the sensation imparting unit to impart, to the user, a sensation based on virtual state information that indicates an estimated robot state.

Abstract: This control device has: a user information acquisition unit which acquires first user posture information that indicates the posture of a first user operating a robot; a pre-change robot information acquisition unit which, on the basis of the first user posture information, acquires pre-change posture information, which indicates the posture of the robot before the posture of the robot is changed; and a determination unit which determines, as the posture of the robot, a target posture, which is different from the posture of the first user, on the basis of the pre-change posture information and the first user posture information that is acquired by the user information acquisition unit at the time when the robot took the pre-change posture indicated by the pre-change posture information.

Abstract: The purpose is to provide a tactile information conversion device, a tactile information conversion method, and a tactile information conversion program, which are usable for general purposes by presenting or sensing an arbitrary tactile feeling. In order to provide tactile information to an output unit capable of outputting physical quantities including electricity, force, temperature, vibration, and/or time and space, at least two or more of the physical quantities are selected according to a tactile feeling to be presented, tactile information for presenting the predetermined tactile feeling is generated based on the physical quantities that have been selected, and the tactile information that has been generated is output to the output unit.

Abstract: The purpose is to provide a device, method and program for tactile information conversion, and an element arrangement structure for presenting a plurality of types of stimuli that are capable of presenting a plurality of types of stimuli at one point in a concentrated manner from different points. One of the features is to determine a first stimulation point at which a first type of tactile stimulus is generated or generate the first type of tactile stimulus at the first stimulation point via the output unit and output tactile information for generating a second type of tactile stimulus via the output unit to the output unit at a second stimulation point separated within a temporally and/or spatially predetermined threshold value from the first stimulation point of the first type of tactile stimulus that has been determined or generated by a first stimulation unit.

Abstract: A tactile sense presentation device is provided which is simple in structure, and is able to give a real tactile sense to a human body by causing electrical stimulation to effectively act thereon, while holding original human tactile sense. The electric tactile sense presentation device includes an electrode substrate adapted to be worn on a human body so as to be in contact with a skin, and a multitude of electrodes formed on a contact surface of the electrode substrate for contact with the skin to present a tactile sense by means of electrical stimulation, wherein the electrode substrate is composed of a flexible circuit body which is flexible to enable a portion thereof in contact with a real object to flexibly deform so as to conform to deformation of the skin, and it is configured such that electrical stimulation by the electrodes is superimposed on the tactile sense of a human being, while maintaining the human tactile sense.

Abstract: A tactile sense presentation device is provided which is simple in structure, and is able to give a real tactile sense to a human body by causing electrical stimulation to effectively act thereon, while holding original human tactile sense. The electric tactile sense presentation device includes an electrode substrate adapted to be worn on a human body so as to be in contact with a skin, and a multitude of electrodes formed on a contact surface of the electrode substrate for contact with the skin to present a tactile sense by means of electrical stimulation, wherein the electrode substrate is composed of a flexible circuit body which is flexible to enable a portion thereof in contact with a real object to flexibly deform so as to conform to deformation of the skin, and it is configured such that electrical stimulation by the electrodes is superimposed on the tactile sense of a human being, while maintaining the human tactile sense.

Abstract: An electro-tactile display includes an electrode substrate provided with a plurality of stimulation electrodes, a conductive gel layer positioned between the stimulation electrodes and the skin of a wearer, a switching circuit section electrically connected to the stimulation electrodes, a stimulation pattern generating section electrically connected to the switching circuit, and means for alleviating a sensation experienced by the wearer as a result of the stimulation electrodes. In one aspect, the means for alleviating a sensation is configured from the conductive gel layer. The conductive gel layer has a resistance value equivalent to that of the horny layer of the skin. In another aspect, the means for alleviating a sensation is configured from the stimulation determination means and the threshold value adjustment means.

Abstract: An electro-tactile display comprises at least one current source, arrayed electrodes, and a switching circuit for connecting each electrode to the current source or to ground. The electro-tactile display is characterized by selecting one or a plurality of electrodes from the arrayed electrodes and connecting the selected electrodes to the current source to provide current source electrodes, alternately connecting neighboring electrodes in the vicinity of said current source electrodes to the current source and to ground, connecting a plurality of remaining electrodes other than the neighboring electrodes to ground to provide ground electrodes, and providing electrical stimulation from the current source electrodes wherein the current source electrodes are spaced apart from the ground electrodes via the neighboring electrodes. Tactile sensations are presented by switching over the current source electrodes at a predetermined time interval.

Abstract: A stereoscopic image display method capable of stereoscopic display of a photographed image. One two-dimensional image is selected, and one pixel capable of being viewed from a corresponding viewpoint position is selected from a plurality of pixels. A virtual surface with the selected two-dimensional image pasted thereon is assumed, and the virtual surface is arranged so that an image center point of the two-dimensional image corresponding to a center of an object coincides with a center of a display surface. Next, a virtual extension that extends from the viewpoint position to the virtual surface through the selected pixel is assumed. A color on the two-dimensional image assumed to have been pasted on the virtual surface, corresponding to a point of intersection between the virtual extension and the virtual surface is determined as a display color of the pixel positioned in a direction extending from the pixel to the viewpoint position.

Abstract: A rotation and extension/retraction link mechanism which realizes a rotary joint having a virtual rotation axis is provided. A rotation and extension/retraction link mechanism 1 is configured so that a first link 5 having a first virtual center line 3 and a second link 9 having a second virtual center line 7 are coupled through a rotation and extension/retraction joint mechanism 11. The rotation and extension/retraction joint mechanism 11 is configured to couple the first link 5 and the second link 9 so that when the second virtual center line 7 rotates relative to the first virtual center line 3 from a state where the first virtual center line 3 entirely overlaps with the second virtual center line 7, while crossing the first virtual center line 3, an intersection between the first virtual center line 3 and the second virtual center line 7 is displaced on the first virtual center line 3 by a predetermined distance corresponding to an angle of the rotation.

Abstract: An electro-tactile display includes an electrode substrate provided with a plurality of stimulation electrodes, a conductive gel layer positioned between the stimulation electrodes and the skin of a wearer, a switching circuit section electrically connected to the stimulation electrodes, a stimulation pattern generating section electrically connected to the switching circuit, and means for alleviating a sensation experienced by the wearer as a result of the stimulation electrodes. In one aspect, the means for alleviating a sensation is configured from the conductive gel layer. The conductive gel layer has a resistance value equivalent to that of the horny layer of the skin. In another aspect, the means for alleviating a sensation is configured from the stimulation determination means and the threshold value adjustment means.

Abstract: An optical tactile sensor and an image information integrating method capable of measuring large area force vector distribution are provided. The optical tactile sensor comprises a tactile section comprising a transparent elastic body (1) and a plurality of markers (3, 4) provided therein, and a plurality of imaging devices (6, 6) for obtaining a marker image by photographing the behavior of the markers when an object (5) contacts the tactile face (2) of the transparent elastic body (1). The method comprises a step of obtaining a partial image by photographing the partial regions A, B, C and D of the transparent resilient body (1) using the plurality of imaging devices (6, 6) such that each imaging device (6) has an overlapped photograph region (11), and a step of integrating the partial images obtained by each imaging device (6) such that the identical markers in the overlapped photograph region match.

Abstract: An electro-tactile display comprises at least one current source, arrayed electrodes, and a switching circuit for connecting each electrode to the current source or to ground. The electro-tactile display is characterized by selecting one or a plurality of electrodes from the arrayed electrodes and connecting the selected electrodes to the current source to provide current source electrodes, alternately connecting neighboring electrodes in the vicinity of said current source electrodes to the current source and to ground, connecting a plurality of remaining electrodes other than the neighboring electrodes to ground to provide ground electrodes, and providing electrical stimulation from the current source electrodes wherein the current source electrodes are spaced apart from the ground electrodes via the neighboring electrodes. Tactile sensations are presented by switching over the current source electrodes at a predetermined time interval.

Abstract: The invention relates to a technique for reducing computation time for force vector calculation. A force vector reconstruction method that uses an optical tactile sensor, comprises a step for obtaining a marker image by taking an image of behavior of colored markers when an object contacts a contact surface of an elastic body, a step of obtaining information relating to the marker behavior from the marker image, the information being more than the number of force vectors to be obtained, and a step of obtaining force vectors as outputs by inputting information relating to the obtained marker behavior to a transfer function. The step of obtaining force vectors comprises calculating force vectors using only information relating to behavior of markers neighboring region A1 of a position A where it is desired to obtain force vectors.