关键词： human-robot interaction   service robots   social robots   speech synthesis  

摘要： Robot utterances generally sound monotonous, unnatural and unfriendly because their Text-to-Speech systems are not optimized for communication but for text reading. Here, we present a non-monologue speech synthesis for robots. The key novelty lies in speech synthesis based on Hidden Markov models (HMMs) using a non-monologue corpus: we collected a speech corpus in a non-monologue style in which two professional voice talents read scripted dialogues, and HMMs were then trained with the corpus and used for speech synthesis. We conducted experiments in which the proposed method was evaluated by 24 subjects in three scenarios: text reading, dialogue and domestic service robot (DSR) scenarios. In the DSR scenario, we used a physical robot and compared our proposed method with a baseline method using the standard Mean Opinion Score criterion. Our experimental results showed that our proposed method's performance was (1) at the same level as the baseline method in the text-reading scenario and (2) exceeded it in the DSR scenario. We deployed our proposed system as a cloud-based speech synthesis service so that it can be used without any cost.

关键词： Robots  

摘要： Logistics has been the bottleneck in ecommerce, creating problems such as slow and/or wrong deliveries, lost packages, damaged goods and incorrect packing. Automation extends capacities and capabilities as justified by the vast volume of online orders. An automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) can deliver high efficiency but may be limited in flexibility when it comes to dealing with order disparities in size, shape, weight, volume and mechanical properties. The ASRS may not offer adequate scalability to adapt to growth and cope with increased seasonal demands, or deal with facility breakdowns and carry out technical maintenance. Robotics promises to strike a balance between efficiency, scalability and flexibility. This paper addresses two broad questions: (1) How can robotics create a radical paradigm shift in ecommerce logistics automation systems? (2) Who should be responsible for investing in robotic ecommerce logistics facilities and how should the benefits be shared among key stakeholders? The first question is discussed through recent industrial developments in using mobile robots to achieve robotic picking methods including goods to picker/person (G2P), goods to robot (G2R), robot to goods (R2G), and through the bold concepts of robotic grid warehousing and cellular warehousing (CW). The second question is discussed by extending the emerging concept of the Product Service System (PSS) to propose a Logistics Automation Service System (LASS) business model where stakeholders focus on their own core competencies while complementing each other's expertise and sharing risks and benefits. © 2015 The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.

关键词： Compliant mechanisms  

摘要： Soft robotics is a fast-emerging interdisciplinary field combining mechatronics, control, material science and biomimetics. With their unique inherent compliance feature, soft robots have advantages over rigid-bodied robots for operations in unstructured environments. On the other hand, most soft robots reported to date are laboratory prototypes rather than end products. To fill this gap, they must undergo multiple transitions from an engineering perspective, through which soft robots are optimised in design, fabrication, power, control, and other engineering criteria, and be proven of their application worthiness. This paper compares conventional soft robotic technologies with the latest developments, and reviews the most recent advances of several engineering-oriented aspects of soft robotics research: fabrication technique standardisation which helps improve the repeatability and reliability of soft actuators;modelling and characterisation from both theoretical and simulation approaches which allow for the systematic analysis of soft robot behaviour and performance;evaluation works on soft actuator drive and power methods which provide insights into how to energise and optimise for the most suitable soft robot for a particular application;untethering soft robots which further relax their physical limitations and enable operations over a greater distance across all-terrain, all-habitat environments;and other factors such as actuation speed, fatigue, and failure modes. © 2015 The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.

关键词： 机器人竞赛   上海市   中小学   西南位育中学   教育委员会   电化教育馆   教育局   徐汇区  

摘要： 2015年上海市中小学机器人竞赛于5月16日、17日在上海市西南位育中学顺利举行。本次赛事由上海市教育委员会指导、上海市电化教育馆和徐汇区教育局主办，上海市西南位育中学承办。

关键词： 跨越台阶   动力学   变形机构   移动机器人   履带   四边形   稳定性   运动学  

摘要： 针对各种灾难过后复杂的地理环境,设计了一种具有平行四边形结构的可变形履带机器人.为了计算机器人在运动过程中的电机驱动力和地面支持力,对机器人上台阶过程进行了运动分析,利用牛顿欧拉方法建立了其跨越台阶的动力学模型,并对其运动稳定性进行了实验.实验结果表明,机器人能够根据运行环境采取不同的运动方式,具有很强的越障能力,适用于崎岖山路、瓦砾及楼梯等复杂环境.此研究可为机器人的运动控制提供借鉴.

关键词： 管道除垢机器人   投送装置   动力学分析  

摘要： 设计了管道除垢机器人在线投送装置,采用四个极坐标式机械臂实现投送装置的平面内移动。建立了机械臂的动力学模型,基于MATLAB进行机械臂的动力学分析,获得了机械臂各关节的速度和加速度变化情况,验证了投送装置的可行性。

关键词： 智能机器人   竞赛活动   STEM   教育领域   视野   青少年活动中心   逻辑思维能力   科学素养  

摘要： 在基础教育领域，智能机器人竞赛活动以其让学生在动手操作的过程中培养逻辑思维能力、合作精神和创新能力的特点，成为培养创新型人才的良好载体。2014年，在杭州青少年活动中心举办的以“五水共治”为主题的机器人竞赛活动，对于提高学生的科学素养、工程素养、数学素养、技术素养具有一定的理论价值和应用推广价值。本文通过分析STEM教育理念，结合杭州的实际情况来阐述STEM教育视野下的智能机器人竞赛活动实施。

关键词： 足桨耦合   仿海蟹机器人   游泳足   水翼推进   目标点跟踪  

摘要： 为实现足桨耦合推进仿海蟹机器人在未知海流扰动作用下对目标点的跟踪控制,对仿海蟹机器人浮游步态的动力学和运动控制进行研究.综合考虑重力、浮力、游泳足拍动产生的推力以及水动力的影响,建立了仿海蟹机器人水下复杂环境的动力学模型.在此基础上,设计了一种基于指数趋近律的滑模变结构控制器,将游泳足上下拍翼运动和摇翼运动的相位差作为被控量,对机器人的转艏角速率进行控制.通过李亚普诺夫直接法,证明该系统可实现全局渐近稳定.最后进行了单一目标点和多目标点跟踪运动仿真和实验,结果表明:该方法可以使机器人具有良好的目标点跟踪能力,并对系统动力学参数不确定性及外界扰动具有较高鲁棒性.

关键词： 机器人学   人才培养   人工智能   网络化  

摘要： 本文在简介近年来国内外工业机器人销量快速增长之后,首先总结了我国机器人研究开发的经验教训,特别是机器人学人才培养方面的教训;接着论述夯实我国机器人发展基础的主要举措,包括培养高素质机器人学人才;然后对培养我国高素质机器人学人才提出决策建议,可供制定我国机器人学中长期发展规划参考。