Joint Research on Robot Friendly Environment
(Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
We conducted collaborative research towards the establishment of a robot-friendly environment. The theme of this project is to "demonstrate options for countermeasures through facilities, robots, and humans, and aim for rational robotization according to the situation."
The research was conducted as part of a project subsidized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, with the aim of further promoting the application and spread of robot technology.
Demonstration Project Structure and Demonstration Location
The research was conducted by four companies: Tokyu Land Corporation, Tokyu Community Corporation, Softbank Corporation, and Nikken Sekkei Ltd.
SoftBank’s Chief Scientist Office was in charge of the following:
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Robot technology
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Delivery robot management
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Operational issues (identification of issues related to the operation of delivery robots in shared office areas)
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Facility countermeasures (verification of the effectiveness of some proposed countermeasures using delivery robots)
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Robot countermeasures (verification of countermeasures for delivery robots in shared office areas)
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Human countermeasures (verification and analysis of effectiveness in shared office areas)
Robot for Demonstration Use
The autonomous robot Cuboid, which is being researched and developed in the Chief Scientist Office, was used for the demonstration.
Technology used in the demonstration experiment
(people flow analysis using LiDAR sensors)
To detect potential collisions between people and robots at corners, we conducted pedestrian flow analysis using LiDAR sensors. We analyzed trajectory and speed variations for each implemented measure, ultimately finding that warning sounds and taking wider turns were the most effective strategies.