Human Support Robot

Toyota has unveiled a new assistant robot designed to help the disabled live more independently. Called the Human Support Robot (HSR), it represents the latest initiative in Toyota's Partner Robot program and is intended to help out around the home by fetching things, opening curtains, and picking up objects that have fallen to the floor.

The HSR can be controlled using a simple graphical user interface via tablet PC. It can also wear a tablet atop its head, which would allow caregivers and family members to communicate with the robot's owner over Skype or other services. But unlike recent telepresence robots including the recently announced iRobot RP-VITA, the HSR has an arm and gripper for doing the simple tasks we often take for granted.

The robot is able to pick stuff up from the floor or atop tables and high counters thanks to its telescopic body, which gives it a height of 2.7 to 4.3 feet, and an arm length of 2.5 feet. When not in use, the robot's single arm is designed to fold in tightly to reduce its body's overall diameter to just 14.5 inches (an important factor when maneuvering in compact Japanese homes). The robot's arm uses little power and moves slowly to prevent accidents and injuries.

Technical specs are still a bit unclear, but the robot weighs 70 lbs and is capable of holding objects that weigh up to 2.6 lbs with its simple two-fingered gripper. Designed for use indoors, the robot travels at a max speed of 1.8 miles per hour. It can overcome bumps in the floor up to 0.3 inches (enough to traverse from hardwood to carpet) and can climb slopes up to 5 degrees. Although not specifically mentioned in the press release the robot appears to have both a Prosense (Microsoft Kinect) sensor and stereo cameras in its head, which would allow it to sense depth and visually identify people and objects.

Toyota has been testing the HSR with the cooperation of the Yokohama Rehabilitation Center since 2011, with patients providing feedback on the robot's design. The company will be demonstrating the robot to the public from 26- 28 September at Tokyo Big Sight as part of the "bleeding edge development of health care equipment" project. No word on the expected price of the robot (or its battery life), but given that Japanese public health insurance will cover 90% of associated costs (a law designed specifically for robot technology that was passed recently), it seems HSR will have a decent shot at becoming a real consumer product, though it may take another couple of years of development.

A robot that can fetch and carry could be used to help care for sick and elderly people in their own homes.

Toyota, the Japanese car manufacturer, has developed the Human Support Robot, or HSR for short, so it will pick up anything it is told to using a mechanical arm that can grasp objects.

The robot also have a suction cup to help it pick up smaller more delicate items, such as medication or single sheets of paper.

The Human Support Robot, shown above, has a single mechanical arm that can grasp and pick up objects like a TV remote control, bottles of water, medication and even carry family photographs to bed ridden patients. Engineers behind the technology hope it could be used to help disabled patients and the elderly in their homes

ROBOBEAR CAN CARRY PATIENTS

A cute robot with the face of a teddy bear could be the home-carer of the future.


The 'Robear' has a cub-like face but packs enough strength to transfer patients from a wheelchair or a floor-level bed to a bath, for example.

It weighs 309lb (140kg) with extending legs that stop the 'bear' from falling over and it moves slowly and smoothly thanks to advance actuators in its mechanical arms.

Robear was developed by the Riken-SRK Collaboration Centre for Human-Interactive Robot Research in Nagoya, Japan.

Robear is capable of lifting a 12 stone 8lb (80kg) person and its built-in sensors detect a person's weight so the arms know how much force is needed.

Kouichi Ikeda, the lead engineer on the project, said it could be particularly useful for people with spinal injuries, back problems and conditions such as arthritis who struggle to stoop down and pick things up.

He said: 'Although it can only do one simple task of picking up, it's already making disabled people quite happy.

'We're just getting started, but eventually we want it to enter people's homes.'

Toyota was showing off the robot, which is 4 feet 4 inches tall (135cm), at a welfare and nursing technology exhibition in Yokohama, south of Tokyo.

The HSR uses several cameras to help it navigate around a room and detect objects to pick them up. Toyota put two of the cameras on the head to make it look like it has eyes.

The robot is controlled using a tablet or smartphone, with users simply clicking on an object in a video feed from the robot's eyes and then tap on whatever they want it to retrieve.

A screen on top of the head can allow video calls, meaning a nurse in a remote location can check in on a patient without having to be there. They can even control the robot to give a patient their medication.

HSR has soft rubber grips and bumpers to ensure it does not hurt people in the room or damage any furniture.

Currently it can pick up items weighing around 1.2kg (2.6lbs), including bottles of water, television remote controls, food and photographs to bring them closer to patients.

Toyota first developed the basic concept model for HSR in 2012 but a new revamped model is now due to be released to universities and research facilities next year.

With a maximum speed of just half a mile per hour (0.8km/s), it scoots around on wheels.

Partner Robot Family
Partner Robot, as its name suggests, is a robot that assists people with a combination of caring and intelligence.

Toyota has been working to develop commercially viable "partner robot" by building on its expertise in the field of industrial robotics and applying cutting-edge technology from areas such as the automotive industry and IT.

Personal Assist Robot
Human Support Robot(HSR)
Concept
The Human Support Robot (HSR) is being developed to assist people in their everyday activities. In the future, the HSR will coexist with family members in the home, providing support to improve living conditions and the overall quality of life.

Features
Three key features make it possible for the HSR to operate in indoor environments around people.

1. Compact, Lightweight Body
To better accommodate a wide variety of households, the HSR needs to be lightweight and maneuverable. An articulated arm and telescoping body allow the HSR to cover a large workspace despite its compact footprint.

2. Safe Interaction
Realizing that contact between human and robot is an essential aspect of support in domestic situations, a safety-conscious design was a top priority for the HSR. The robot's arm uses little power and moves slowly to prevent accidents and injuries. Obstacle avoidance and collision detection help the HSR to operate safely in a human-centric environment.

3. Simple Interface
HSR can be controlled intuitively through voice commands or a simple graphical user interface via any number of common handheld touchscreen-enabled devices, such as tablet PCs and smartphones.

Functions
HSR has three basic modes: Pick-up, Fetch, and Manual Control.

Pick-up
The arm has a simple gripper to pick up objects such as pens and TV remotes, while thinner hard-to-grasp objects like paper or cards can be lifted off the floor using a small vacuum installed in the hand.

Fetch
Using voice commands or the touch-screen GUI, the user can command the robot to retrieve objects from boxes and shelves by simply specifying what to fetch.

Manual Control
Tasks that are currently beyond the scope of HSR's autonomous capability can be performed manually via the user interface. Manual control is also useful for remote operation ("telepresence"), which would allow caregivers and family members to communicate with the robot's owner over Skype or other services, by means of a display on top of its head.

Technology
1. Folding Arm
HSR is intended to help out around the home by fetching things, opening curtains, and picking up fallen objects. Along with a telescoping body, the robot's single arm can extend to pick stuff up from the floor or atop tables and high counters. When not in use, the arm is designed to fold in tightly to reduce its body's overall diameter.

2. Flexible Hand
Attached to the HSR's arm is a two-finger gripper, which is soft to the touch. This flexible hand conforms to the shape of objects it grasps, and includes a pressurized suction pad to lift thin items such as cards or paper.

3. Object Recognition & Grasp Planning
Object recognition algorithms allow HSR to understand the size and shape of items tasked to pick-up or grasp. This information is used to compute an appropriate path for the arm and position of the hand.

4. Environment Recognition and Autonomous Mobility
Onboard sensors keep HSR apprised of its surroundings, so that it can safely navigate inside the home, avoiding obstacles while continuing along the optimum route to its instructed destination.

5. Remote Functions
Family members and caregivers can access and operate HSR using a network enabled device to perform the following tasks:

• Remote Control

 Perform household tasks (Retrieve objects, open curtains, etc)

• Remote Monitoring

Watch over a disabled family member or check-in on an empty house

• Remote Communication

Video chat with family members ("telepresence")

Currently, this functionality is limited to use on a local network, but access from remote locations will be available in the near future.
HSR will keep family, friends, and society connected.

Social Contribution
TOYOTA has developed the HSR prototype to assist independent home living for persons with limited arm or leg mobility. Aiming to improve quality of life, TOYOTA has developed the HSR prototype in cooperation with the Japan Service Dog Association to identify the needs and desires of individuals with limited limb mobility, and developed functions focused around picking up dropped objects, retrieving items, and communicating with family members and caregivers.

In 2011, TOYOTA conducted in-home trials using the robot with individuals with limb disabilities in cooperation with the Foundation for Yokohama Rehabilitation Service and incorporated user feedback into development.

Additionally, in response to the aging of Japan's population, TOYOTA will collaborate with research organizations such as universities as well as persons involved in nursing and healthcare to research and develop new functions for the HSR such as remote monitoring and assistance with the aim of practical application in the field of care for the elderly.