A robotic platform associated with one or more software services enables remote users to interact with an environment and other humans physically and visually through a robotic surrogate over any distance utilizing the internet. The robotic surrogate is controlled through a non-technical user interface which responds to user control inputs made through natural user arm movements which are tracked in three dimensional space.

In a robot, an actuator causes the robot to operate. A processor is configured to acquire, when a holding portion is held by a predetermined target, physical information on a physical function of the predetermined target, and cause, by controlling the actuator depending on the acquired physical information, the robot to perform at least one of an examination operation for examining the physical function of the predetermined target and a training support operation for training the physical function of the predetermined target.

A robot is equipped with a processor. The processor detects external appearance or audio of a living being, and by controlling the robot, causes the robot to execute an operation in accordance with liking data indicating preferences of the robot regarding external appearance or audio and the detected external appearance or audio of the living being.

To provide an expression-variable robot capable of stably showing a variety of expressions by a simple configuration. An expression-variable robot includes a simulated face and an eyebrow body that is disposed on the surface of the simulated face, the eyebrow body having flexibility. The expression-variable robot further includes a first support part that supports an outer end of the eyebrow body, a second support part that supports an inner end of the eyebrow body, and drive parts that rotate the outer end.

A companion robot is disclosed. In some embodiments, the companion robot may include a head having a facemask and a projector configured to project facial images onto the facemask; a facial camera; a microphone configured to receive audio signals from the environment; a speaker configured to output audio signals; and a processor electrically coupled with the projector, the facial camera, the microphone, and the speaker. In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to receive facial images from the facial camera; receive speech input from the microphone; determine an audio output based on the facial images and/or the speech input; determine a facial projection output based the facial images and/or the speech input; output the audio output via the speaker; and project the facial projection output on the facemask via the projector.

An autonomous companion mobile robot and system may complement the intelligence possessed by a user with machine learned intelligence to make a user's life more fulfilling. The robot and system includes a mobile robotic device and a mobile robotic docking station. Either or both of the mobile robotic device and the mobile robotic docking station may operate independently, as well as operating together as a team, as a system. The mobile robotic device may have an external form of a three-dimensional shape, a humanoid, a present or historical person, some fictional character, or some animal. The mobile robotic device and/or the mobile robotic docking station may each include a fog Internet of Things (IoT) gateway processor and a plurality of sensors and input/output devices. The autonomous companion mobile robot and system may collect data from and observe its users and offer suggestions, perform tasks, and present information to its users.

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.

A virtual robot image presentation method and an apparatus are provided to improve virtual robot utilization and user experience. In this method, an electronic device generates a first virtual robot image, and presents the first virtual robot image. The first virtual robot image is determined by the electronic device based on scene information. The scene information includes at least one piece of information in first information and second information, the first information is used to represent a current time attribute, and the second information is used to represent a type of an application currently running in the electronic device. According to the foregoing method, in a human-machine interaction process, virtual robot images can be richer and more vivid, so that user experience can be better, thereby improving virtual robot utilization of a user.

A robotic platform associated with one or more software services enables remote users to interact with an environment and other humans physically and visually through a robotic surrogate over any distance utilizing the internet. The robotic surrogate is controlled through a non-technical user interface which responds to user control inputs made through natural user arm movements which are tracked in three dimensional space.

Provided is a voice interaction device capable of reducing a sense of unfriendliness given to a conversation partner. The voice interaction device is incorporated in an interactive robot. The voice interaction device includes a display unit disposed at positions of eyes of the interactive robot and configured to display the eyes of the interactive robot; a distance measurement unit configured to measure a distance between the interactive robot and the conversation partner; and an eye control unit configured to set a size of each of pupils of the interactive robot displayed on the display unit when the distance measured by the distance measurement unit is less than a predetermined distance to be larger than a size of each of the pupils displayed on the display unit when the measured distance is equal to or more than the predetermined distance.