Hitachi Ltd. says it has developed a humanoid robot, “EMIEW3” that can autonomously approach customers requiring assistance in stores and public facilities.
Hitachi says EMIEW3 is enhanced by the “remote brain” consisting of a robotics IT platform connected to cloud-based intelligent processing systems and a remote operation system to monitor and control multiple robots at various locations.
Using the EMIEW3, robotics IT platform, and ‘developers/operators’ package, Hitachi together with customers, will commence proof-of-concept (PoC) on new robot services for various situations and environments as EMIEW3 is able to provide high quality services, the technology company says.
Hitachi says the newly-developed EMIEW3 is “enhanced with functions to efficiently provide customer and guidance services such as the ability to identify a person requiring assistance, autonomously approach a person and initiate customer services, share information with other EMIEW3 units to ensure smooth service continuation, and if knocked over, to resume a standing position”.
Highlighting the major features of the EMIEW3, Hitachi explains that “a remote brain configuration was used to conduct intelligent processing such as on voice, image and language outside of the robot to enable high quality customer and guidance services. For example, by linking human movement and network cameras for environmental recognition, the robot can identify customers requiring support and autonomously initiate customer services”.
The voice and language processing technology allows voice to be recognized and translated even with background street noise, thereby supporting business in communities with a large number of tourists, according to Hitachi.
The remote operation system monitors and controls multiple robots at different locations to allow information to be shared between multiple robots and enable smooth transfer of services.
In the event of robot failure, Hitachi explains that restoration instructions can be sent from a remote location to quickly resume services, if knocked over, the ability to resume a standing position has been embedded in EMIEW3.
The practical features previously developed with EMIEW2 for indoor services are kept in EMIEW3 such as its compact height of 90cm, portable weight of 15kg, ability to keep pace with humans adjusting speeds up to a max of 6km/h and overcome differences in floor levels up to 15mm.
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