The Japanese Humanoid Robotics Project has produced the HRP-2 robot, which is known for dancing and preserving Japanese culture. But now, the HRP-2, which is about 1.6 meter high and weighs about 60 kilograms, can hear humans and understand them with its sophisticated software and hearing equipment. It uses an array of microphones consisting of eight omnidirectional microphones mounted around the robot's head. Stable speech recognition is obtained by combining information from the microphone array and a camera also mounted on its head, and by isolating and eliminating noises, even from your TV. These hearing capabilities are essential "for helping humans to communicate with robots in real environments by 2025." Read more.
Before going further, here is how looks the HRP-2, also known as 'Prométhée' (Credit: Kawada Industries, Inc.)
Now here are the technical details provided by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) about the microphone array.
The microphone array consists of eight omnidirectional microphones mounted around the robot's head. The sound source is located on the basis of difference in times for arrival to individual microphones, and at the same time, a camera mounted at the robot's head detects, tracks and locates a person giving the vocal instruction.
Here is the robot's head with its array of microphones. The red arrows show the positions of the eight microphones (Credit: AIST).
Let’s start with the three fundamental Rules of robotics.... We have: one, a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Two, a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. And three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
—Isaac Asimov (1920–1992)
Stable speech recognition is obtained by combining information derived from the microphone array and the camera and by isolating and eliminating noises. Hardware to eliminate noises in real time has been developed and built into a robot, making it possible for a human operator to give robot vocal instructions, and to control IT appliances through a robot, even in a field where multiple noise sources such as TV exist.
It is expected, therefore, that natural communications may be realized in the living environment between a human operator and a humanoid robot through the auditory function of robot.
Please read the AIST document for more details about the voice interface and its hardware and software components. I just want to emphasize that the goal of this project is to allow natural communications between human beings and humanoid robots through the auditory function of the robots, and even in noisy environments.
Sources: Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) news release, June 20, 2005; and various web sites
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The obvious parallels between Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz have frequently been noted: in both there is the orphan hero who is raised on a farm by an aunt and uncle and yearns to escape to adventure. Obi-wan Kenobi resembles the Wizard; the loyal, plucky little robot R2D2 is Toto; C3PO is the Tin Man; and Chewbacca is the Cowardly Lion. Darth Vader replaces the Wicked Witch: this is a patriarchy rather than a matriarchy.
—Andrew Gordon, U. S. educator, critic. “The Inescapable Family in American Science Fiction and Fantasy Films,” Journal of Popular Film and Television (Summer 1992)
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