Development of a Personal Guide Robot That Leads a Guest Hand-in-Hand While Keeping a Distance

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Human-Robot Interaction
• Humanoid Robotics

Background:

• Traditional guided tours can be restrictive, limiting visitor engagement with exhibits.
• Existing robots often lack the nuanced interaction required for personalized guidance.
• There is a need for robotic systems that can provide intuitive, hands-on assistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel tour guide robot, ASAHI ReBorn, capable of leading guests individually.
• To enhance the visitor experience by enabling natural interaction and exploration during guided tours.
• To investigate the effectiveness of a stretchable arm interface for maintaining optimal distance and facilitating guest comfort.

Main Methods:

• Development of ASAHI ReBorn robot with a stretchable arm interface for hand-holding.
• Implementation of a speed adjustment mechanism synchronized with the guest's pace.
• Utilization of the Robot Side method for accurate path following.
• Introduction of an angular velocity control to prevent abrupt turns during guidance.

Main Results:

• Experiments demonstrated the robot's ability to accurately follow guide paths and adjust speed.
• User studies confirmed the usability and effectiveness of the stretchable arm for maintaining distance.
• Tour-guiding experiments showed guests could explore exhibits more freely compared to constant-velocity robot movement.

Conclusions:

• ASAHI ReBorn offers a novel approach to personalized robotic tour guidance.
• The stretchable arm interface significantly improves guest comfort and engagement.
• The developed system enhances the overall museum or exhibition experience through intuitive human-robot interaction.