論文

As part of the development of a parallel cybernetic avatar that can move two robot arms simultaneously, this study examined the task performance and usability of the parallel arms when operated by a human without assistance. As a result, the method of changing the magnitude of the motion reflected in the two robot arms by the slider showed lower task performance but higher usability. This may be because it is less cognitive load to adjust the robot arms simultaneously than to switch between them. We will continue to design parallel cybernetic avatars that include cognitive load, which we were not able to verify in this study.

Collaborative action enables individuals to exceed the limits of their abilities, and encourages new creativity. These are promoted by VR, computer-assisted systems, sensory sharing, etc., but the body is independent. In this paper, we propose a Collaborative Avatar, in which two people are integrated into a single robotic avatar, and investigate the possibilities for embodied collaboration through the avatar with others who have different skills and experiences. This system integrates the movements of two people in any ratio, and sharing each other’s senses, to embody them into a single robotic arm. Evaluation test showed that this system induced the equivalent sense of agency, body ownership, and usability as when the robot was operated by alone. We also found that the task performance was improved when the robot was operated by two people, and that the two people’s movements were synchronized. Interestingly, we found a correlation between the sense of agency and usability when the robot was operated by two people, but no correlation when operated by one person. It is expected that the Collaborative Avatar will improve our abilities and induce various embodied coordination between people, which will become a new way of collaboration in the cyber-physical society.

デジタル空間と現実空間とが融合し、人々が空間を超えて社会的活動を行うメタバースの時代において、人々が個人の身体の制約や限界に囚われることなく自由自在に行動することができる「もうひとつの身体」を実現すべく、ムーンショット研究開発事業「身体的共創を生み出すサイバネティック・アバター技術と社会基盤の開発」では、人々が自身の能力を最大限に発揮し、多様な人々の多彩な技能や経験を共有できるサイバネティック・アバター（CA）技術の研究開発に取り組んでいる。技能や経験を相互に利活用する際の制度的・倫理的課題を考慮して、人と社会に調和した、身体的な技能や経験を流通する社会基盤を構築し、CAを通じて人と人との新たな身体的共創を生み出し、誰もが自在な活動や挑戦を行える、2050年の多様性と包摂性の高い未来社会の実現を目指す。

In the field of social psychology, many studies have been conducted to clarify human cooperative behavior using experimental games. In this study, we developed a Haptics interface that can share the input actions of others in real time, assuming communication in an online environment. And investigated the effect of sharing physical information on decision-making in an experimental game played by multiple players.

In the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Virtual Reality (VR), there is an increasing focus on well-being. While research has underscored the potential of multimodal technologies to foster mental tranquility, the integration of scene imagery linked to nostalgic emotions remains under-investigated. In our research, we developed an immersive whole-body haptic experience, guiding participants through scene imagery supplemented by Pseudo-action stimuli, including actions like walking and opening a door, as well as Ambient stimuli, such as wind and everyday sounds. The results confirmed that participants effectively reminisced about serene and comforting places. Pseudo-action stimuli bolstered sensory ownership sensations, whereas Ambient stimuli provided a platform for open interpretation. In conclusion, our study suggests that whole-body haptic technologies in Virtual Reality can offer a nuanced approach to creating scene representations, potentially enhancing user immersion.

Storytelling in libraries is an opportunity to share experiences with parents and children. However, it is challenging in group storytelling to draw children’s attention to a picture book, because children’s sustained attention to picture books is affected by their age, situation, and individual language ability. Therefore, we have developed a cushion that provides haptic feedback during storytelling so that children can feel the picture book world through their bodies. We then investigated the effects of storytelling using haptic feedback compared to normal storytelling. The results suggest the possibility of maintaining children’s sustained attention to picture books by the provided haptic feedback.

超人スポーツとは，人間の身体能力を補綴・拡張する人間拡張工学に基づき，人の身体能力を超える力を身につけ「人を超える」，あるいは年齢や障碍などの身体差により生じる「人と人のバリアを超える」ことによって生み出される新しいスポーツ競技である．拡張された超人同士がテクノロジーを自在に乗りこなし，競い合う「人機一体」の新たなスポーツを創造することを目指している．さらなる「人機一体」の技術の開発に向け，競技者同士が同一の技術（道具）を用い，その使いこなし方や身体能力，戦略で競い合う超人スポーツ競技ではなく，最先端の人間拡張工学と身体能力を競技者同士が自在に開発，適用して，独自技術と身体能力で競い合い，記録に挑戦するかたちの競技を新たに創り出すという目的で，3 つのグランドチャレンジを設定し，2020 年度の第 1 回グランドチャレンジを実施した．

© 2018 IEEE. Robots have replaced people in many manufacturing production lines but the information they gather from sensors might not be sufficient to autonomously accomplish dexterous manipulation operations. Symbiotic human-robot cooperation appears to be a more realistic near future in industrial scenarios. In this paper we present a configuration of human-robot collaboration in which the robot is sensory-augmented by means of a set of tactile signals coming from the human operator. The incorporation of low-level robot 'intelligence' permits the cooperative manipulation of an object while enabling the human operator to stay focused on task itself and carry it out in the most natural way. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated in a use case in which a robot helps a human operator to successfully accomplish a writing task. System performance has been evaluated, considering several positions of the tiny vibration sensor in charge of gathering the human perception, by testing it on both the human hand and the co-manipulated object. Results suggest that the sensor provides valuable information for recognizing operator actions when it is placed either on the human hand or on the co-manipulated object. However, the sensor on the finger directly represents the operator's perception, while the output of the sensor attached to the object changes according to the distance between the interaction point and the sensor itself. In addition, in wearing the sensor, neither the object nor the robot need to be instrumented: the operator is free to interact with a large set of objects and collaborate with any existing robot without requiring supplemental equipment.

Illusory ownership can be induced in a virtual body by visuo-motor synchrony. Our aim was to test the possibility of a re-association of the right thumb with a virtual left arm and express the illusory body ownership of the re-associated arm through a synchronous or asynchronous movement of the body parts through action and vision. Participants felt that their right thumb was the virtual left arm more strongly in the synchronous condition than in the asynchronous one, and the feeling of ownership of the virtual arm was also stronger in the synchronous condition. We did not find a significant difference in the startle responses to a sudden knife appearance to the virtual arm between the two synchrony conditions, as there was no proprioceptive drift of the thumb. These results suggest that a re-association of the right thumb with the virtual left arm could be induced by visuo-motor synchronization; however, it may be weaker than the natural association.

The limited nonverbal cues and spatially distributed nature of remote communication make it challenging for unacquainted members to be expressive during social interactions over video conferencing. Though it enables seeing others' facial expressions, the visual feedback can instead lead to unexpected self-focus, resulting in users missing cues for others to engage in the conversation equally. To support expressive communication and equal participation among unacquainted counterparts, we propose SealMates, a behavior-driven avatar in which the avatar infers the engagement level of the group based on collective gaze and speech patterns and then moves across interlocutors' windows in the video conferencing. By conducting a controlled experiment with 15 groups of triads, we found the avatar's movement encouraged people to experience more self-disclosure and made them perceive everyone was equally engaged in the conversation than when there was no behavior-driven avatar. We discuss how a behavior-driven avatar influences distributed members' perceptions and the implications of avatar-mediated communication for future platforms.