Provided is a voice interaction device capable of turning lines of sight of eyes of an interactive robot to a conversation partner without inhibiting voice interaction. The voice interaction device is incorporated in the interactive robot. The voice interaction device includes a photographing unit configured to photograph an image; an environment recognition unit configured to recognize a position of a conversation partner captured in the image; a display unit disposed at positions of the eyes of the interactive robot and configured to display the eyes of the interactive robot; and an eye control unit configured to turn the lines of sight of the eyes of the interactive robot displayed on the display unit to a position where the conversation partner is recognized.

The present disclosure relates to a method for learning and embodying a human facial expression by a robot, in which human emotional indicators are allowed to match with servo motor parameter values of a robot and the robot automatically and mechanically learns a human expression to imitate the human expression.

A moving body configured to move autonomously includes: a light emitting device configured to emit light in radial directions with respect to a vertical axis of the moving body; an acquisition unit configured to acquire a moving direction of the moving body; and a light-emitting control unit configured to make the light emitting device emit light using luminous colors previously associated with each direction of the radial directions with reference to the moving direction acquired by the acquisition unit, in which the light emitting device is installed so as to be able to emit light with at least one of the luminous colors within an arbitrary range of 180 in the radial directions.

A monitor is installed in an eye of a robot, and an eye image is displayed on the monitor. The robot extracts a feature quantity of an eye of a user from a filmed image of the user. The feature quantity of the eye of the user is reflected in the eye image. For example, a feature quantity is a size of a pupillary region and a pupil image, and a form of an eyelid image. Also, a blinking frequency or the like may also be reflected as a feature quantity. Familiarity with respect to each user is set, and which user's feature quantity is to be reflected may be determined in accordance with the familiarity.

The portable robot for two-way communication with the hearing-impaired provides for translation of audio into hand movements, hand shapes, hand orientations; the location of the hands around the body, the movements of the body and the head, facial expressions and lip movements to provide communication from a non-hearing-impaired individual(s) to hearing-impaired individual(s). The robot also translates hand movements, hand shapes, hand orientations; the location of the hands around the body, the movements of the body and the head, facial expressions and lip movements into audio to provide communication from hearing-impaired individual(s) to non-hearing-impaired individual(s). A communication system is provided to allow remote communication with non-hearing-impaired individual(s).

An automatic mobile robot for facilitating activities to improve both neurotypical and autistic children's intellectual and emotional development is disclosed. The mobile robot has a non-humanoid toy shape, and includes an expressive face perceived as friendly and approachable by autistic children. The mobile robot is durable and safe for children. It includes auto-play, game, and occupational therapy modes. Games and therapeutic activities may be customized to suit each child user's developmental level. The mobile robot includes multiple sensors and components configured to process and express emotion in response to data received from the sensing units and the patterns of the user's interactions with the robot.

A device includes a camera, a microphone, a driving mechanism, and a memory. The processor determines whether or not a first person appears in a video acquired by the camera, or whether or not speech of the first person is included in a sound acquired by the microphone, when the driving mechanism is to start driving in accordance with predetermined content executed by the device. The first person being a subject person requiring predetermined attention when the device makes contact therewith. The processor determines whether or not the device is moving, when the first person appears in the video, or when the speech of the first person is included in the sound. The processor controls the driving mechanism to stop movement of the device, when the device is moving.

The present teaching relates to method, system, medium, and implementations for configuring an animatronic device. Information about a user is obtained for whom an animatronic device is to be configured to carry out a dialogue with the user. One or more preferences of the user are identified from the obtained information and are used to select, from the plurality of selectable profiles, a first selected profile, which specifies parameters to be used to control a manner by which the animatronic device is to communicate with the user. The animatronic device is then configured based on the first selected profile for carrying out the dialogue in the manner specified.

A communication robot controls a line-of-sight direction by changing at least one of an orientation of a head part and a position of a black eye. In the communication robot, in order to direct the line-of-sight direction to a reference direction of a communication target, when the reference direction is included in a specified range previously determined for a current line-of-sight direction, a control unit directs the line-of-sight direction to the reference direction by changing the position of the black eye without changing the orientation of the head part, whereas when the reference direction is not included in the specified range, the control unit directs the line-of-sight direction to the reference direction by changing both the orientation of the head part and the position of the black eye.

A method and apparatus for controlling a social robot includes providing a set of quantitative personality trait values, also called a personality profile to a decision engine of the social robot. The personality profile is derived from a character portrayal in a fictional work, dramatic performance, or by a real-life person (any one of these sometime referred to herein as a source character). The decision engine controls social responses of the social robot to environmental stimuli, based in part on the set of personality trait values. The social robot thereby behaves in a manner consistent with the personality profile for the profiled source character.