盲導犬ロボットの人間中心設計：静かで安定した歩行制御
Human-Centered Development of Guide Dog Robots: Quiet and Stable Locomotion Control
視覚障害者向けの盲導犬ロボットにおいて、騒音とぎくしゃくした動きを抑える新しい歩行制御器を開発し、Unitree Go1で騒音を半減させ、利用者実験で高い受容性を示した。
詳しい要約
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2. 先行研究と比べてどこがすごい？
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著者: Shangqun Yu, Hochul Hwang, Trung M. Dang, Joydeep Biswas, Nicholas A. Giudice, Sunghoon Ivan Lee, Donghyun Kim
分類: cs.RO, cs.HC
原文アブストラクト
A quadruped robot is a promising system that can offer assistance comparable to that of dog guides due to its similar form factor. However, various challenges remain in making these robots a reliable option for blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals. Among these challenges, noise and jerky motion during walking are critical drawbacks of existing quadruped robots. While these issues have largely been overlooked in guide dog robot research, our interviews with guide dog handlers and trainers revealed that acoustic and physical disturbances can be particularly disruptive for BLV individuals, who rely heavily on environmental sounds for navigation. To address these issues, we developed a novel walking controller for slow stepping and smooth foot swing/contact while maintaining human walking speed, as well as robust and stable balance control. The controller integrates with a perception system to facilitate locomotion over non-flat terrains, such as stairs. Our controller was extensively tested on the Unitree Go1 robot and, when compared with other control methods, demonstrated significant noise reduction -- half of the default locomotion controller. In this study, we adopt a mixed-methods approach to evaluate its usability with BLV individuals. In our indoor walking experiments, participants compared our controller to the robot's default controller. Results demonstrated superior acceptance of our controller, highlighting its potential to improve the user experience of guide dog robots. Video demonstration (best viewed with audio) available at: https://youtu.be/8-pz_8Hqe6s.
