Design of human symbiotic robot TWENDY-ONE

In this paper, we propose a sophisticated design of human symbiotic robots that provide physical supports to the elderly such as attendant care with high-power and kitchen supports with dexterity while securing contact safety even if physical contact occurs with them. First of all, we made clear functional requirements for such a new generation robot, amounting to fifteen items to consolidate five significant functions such as “safety”, “friendliness”, “dexterity”, “high-power” and “mobility”. In addition, we set task scenes in daily life where support by robot is useful for old women living alone, in order to deduce specifications for the robot. Based on them, we successfully developed a new generation of human symbiotic robot, TWENDY-ONE that has a head, trunk, dual arms with a compact passive mechanism, anthropomorphic dual hands with mechanical softness in joints and skins and an omni-wheeled vehicle. Evaluation experiments focusing on attendant care and kitchen supports using TWENDY-ONE indicate that this new robot will be extremely useful to enhance quality of life for the elderly in the near future where human and robot co-exist.