Abstract: A collision avoidance method according to the present invention avoids collision of a robot arm 120 including an upper arm part 122 and a forearm part 124 connected to each other via an elbow part 134 with an obstacle. Movable areas of the upper arm part 122 and the forearm part 124 in a state in which positions of both ends of the robot arm 120 have been fixed are calculated. Intersections of the movable areas with a first line on a boundary surface of an obstacle area including the obstacle are calculated. A collision avoidance range in which the robot arm 120 does not collide against the obstacle area in the movable areas is determined based on the intersections that have been calculated.

Abstract: A biped walking robot control method is for master-slave control of walking of a biped walking robot. The biped walking robot control method includes a weight detection step of detecting weights applied to a ground respectively by a right leg and a left leg of an operator, a target ZMP calculation step of calculating a target ZMP when the biped walking robot produces weights having a ratio of the detected right leg weight and left leg weight, and a control step of controlling the biped walking robot in accordance with the calculated target ZMP.

Abstract: A collision avoidance method according to the present invention avoids collision of a robot arm 120 including an upper arm part 122 and a forearm part 124 connected to each other via an elbow part 134 with an obstacle. Movable areas of the upper arm part 122 and the forearm part 124 in a state in which positions of both ends of the robot arm 120 have been fixed are calculated. Intersections of the movable areas with a first line on a boundary surface of an obstacle area including the obstacle are calculated. A collision avoidance range in which the robot arm 120 does not collide against the obstacle area in the movable areas is determined based on the intersections that have been calculated.

Abstract: A biped walking robot control method is for master-slave control of walking of a biped walking robot. The biped walking robot control method includes a weight detection step of detecting weights applied to a ground respectively by a right leg and a left leg of an operator, a target ZMP calculation step of calculating a target ZMP when the biped walking robot produces weights having a ratio of the detected right leg weight and left leg weight, and a control step of controlling the biped walking robot in accordance with the calculated target ZMP.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed wherein motion data which define motions of an end effecter of a robot such as a hand tip can be produced simply and conveniently. The apparatus and method provide a motion editing environment in which motion data for allowing a robot to plot a picture or a character can be edited simply and conveniently based on interactions such as hand-written inputting of a user through a mouse, a tablet or the like. By reproducing the produced motion data on a robot, a motion of plotting an arbitrary character or picture by the robot can be implemented simply.

Abstract: A robot apparatus capable of offering significantly improved safety and a control method thereof by detecting a safety level status and a safety level of the safety level status and then, in response, taking prescribed countermeasures. In addition, in a movable robot apparatus and its control method, a safety level status detecting means for detecting a safety level status and a control means for performing a control process so as to implement prescribed countermeasures depending on the position of the safety level status detected by the safety level status detecting means are provided. Further, in a robot apparatus and its control method, a safety level involving an object and movable parts is detected when the object is detected, and the movable parts are moved so as to mitigate or avoid the danger based on the detected safety level and a determined action.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes: an internal information acquisition unit for acquiring pieces of information acquired by a measuring tool attached to a subject's head and indicating blood component changes at measurement portions inside the subject's head; a noise removed signal extracting unit for removing noise components of a brain signal on the basis of a reference signal generated on the basis of information indicating blood component changes at a predetermined measurement portion among the acquired pieces of information indicating blood component changes at the measurement portions, the brain signal being generated on the basis of information indicating blood component changes at the measurement portion different from the predetermined measurement portion; and an output unit for outputting the brain signal, from which the noise components are removed, as a signal indicating an activated state at the corresponding measurement portion of a brain surface layer of the subject.

Abstract: A control apparatus includes: a brain-activity-signal processing unit that processes plural brain activity signals and detects plural estimation values for estimating brain activity; and a control unit that controls a control target on the basis of the estimation values of the brain activity. The control unit switches a control target region of the control target according to at least one of the plural brain activity signals and controls the switched control target region according to the plural brain activity signals.

Abstract: A legged mobile robot itself is responsive to the result of error detection during robot operations to perform error avoiding processing autonomously. In detecting an error, requested commands are all blocked by the internal processing within the robot so that an input to an actuating system does not affect the robot. The type of the error that has occurred is also notified to the actuating system so that feedback to an inputting system 32 may be applied in a manner specific to the error type. When the error is eliminated, that effect is notified to the actuating system to enable re-initiation of the usual command input from the remote operating system.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed wherein motion data which define motions of an end effecter of a robot such as a hand tip can be produced simply and conveniently. The apparatus and method provide a motion editing environment in which motion data for allowing a robot to plot a picture or a character can be edited simply and conveniently based on interactions such as hand-written inputting of a user through a mouse, a tablet or the like. By reproducing the produced motion data on a robot, a motion of plotting an arbitrary character or picture by the robot can be implemented simply.

Abstract: A device of controlling an operation of a robot apparatus having at least a plurality of movable units includes a driver driving the movable units, a determiner determining states of the movable units or a state of the robot apparatus, a plurality of abnormal state detectors detecting abnormal states and performing overcoming operations on the abnormal states on the basis of the determination results determined by the determiner, and an abnormal state controller causing the abnormal state detections and the overcoming operations to be concurrently performed by the plurality of abnormal state detectors.

Abstract: It is so arranged in a robot as to monitor the over-current state of each motor and that of two more than two motors when put together by seeing the total current value of the motors being monitored in parallel with absorption of both the static load torque and the dynamic load torque of each actuator/motor. Additionally, it is so arranged as to check if each of the predetermined unit members including the arm sections and the leg sections of the robot is in an over-current state or not and also if the entire robot is in an over-current state or not, while each of the motors are not in an over-current state.

Abstract: A device of controlling an operation of a robot apparatus having at least a plurality of movable units includes a driver driving the movable units, a determiner determining states of the movable units or a state of the robot apparatus, a plurality of abnormal state detectors detecting abnormal states and performing overcoming operations on the abnormal states on the basis of the determination results determined by the determiner, and an abnormal state controller causing the abnormal state detections and the overcoming operations to be concurrently performed by the plurality of abnormal state detectors.

Abstract: The present invention is to realize a robot apparatus and a control method thereof that can remarkably improve the entertainment ability. In a robot apparatus with plural leg parts having multi-step of joint mechanisms respectively connected to a body part and a control method thereof, it is designed so that after the external and/or the internal state was detected, whether or not the above detected external and/or internal state is in the state lifted in the user's arms or the lifted state is determined, and a driving system is controlled so as to stop the operation of each joint mechanism based on the above determination result.

Abstract: It is so arranged in a robot as to monitor the over-current state of each motor and that of two more than two motors when put together by seeing the total current value of the motors being monitored in parallel with absorption of both the static load torque and the dynamic load torque of each actuator/motor. Additionally, it is so arranged as to check if each of the predetermined unit members including the arm sections and the leg sections of the robot is in an over-current state or not and also if the entire robot is in an over-current state or not, while each of the motors are not in an over-current state.

Abstract: A robot apparatus capable of offering significantly improved safety and a control method thereof. In a movable robot apparatus and its control method, a safety level status is detected and the safety level of the detected safety level status is detected as well. Then a control process is performed so as to make the robot apparatus take prescribed countermeasures according to the detected safety level status and the safety level of the safety level status. In addition, in a movable robot apparatus and its control method, a safety level status detecting means for detecting a safety level status and a control means for performing a control process so as to implement prescribed countermeasures depending on the position of the safety level status detected by the safety level status detecting means are provided.

Abstract: A legged mobile robot itself is responsive to the result of error detection during robot operations to perform error avoiding processing autonomously. In detecting an error, requested commands are all blocked by the internal processing within the robot so that an input to an actuating system does not affect the robot. The type of the error that has occurred is also notified to the actuating system so that feedback to an inputting system 32 may be applied in a manner specific to the error type. When the error is eliminated, that effect is notified to the actuating system to enable re-initiation of the usual command input from the remote operating system.