A new Samsung patent application covers their ongoing work on Home Robotics, an area that Apple is considering to enter
While we wait for the U.S. Patent Office to wake up and release today's patent applications for Apple, we present you with an overview of a patent from Samsung regarding their ongoing work on home robots.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently wrote that "The iPhone maker also has developed an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around…The idea was to have the display mimic the head movements — such as nodding — of a person on a FaceTime session. It would also have features to precisely lock on to a single person among a crowd during a video call."
While we wait for solid news on this rumor, it has to be pointed out that Samsung has been miles ahead of Apple on the robotics front with several models. Samsung "Vision" states:
Our goal is to push ourselves to innovate and make a positive impact on the world. We believe that users of our robots can take advantage of their various AI technologies, utilizing them for a wider range of tasks across various fields.
As such, it is envisioned as ‘Samsung Bot’, a robot that makes our lives more convenient and happier by helping with our physical activities and communicating with us more naturally.
We will keep advancing cutting-edge SW and HW technologies for robotics to the commercialization level to serve real benefits to customers."
Last Thursday the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a patent application from Samsung titled "Robot and Controlling Method."
Samsung's patent covers a method of controlling a robot. The method includes identifying an interaction corresponding to the event, identifying a user context, identifying an interaction parameter based on history information stored in the robot, the interaction, and the user context, performing the interaction based on the identified interaction parameter, obtaining information on a user's response according to the performed interaction, and updating the history information based on the information on the identified interaction parameter and the user's response.
In accordance with another aspect of Samsung's patent, a robot is provided. The robot includes at least one sensor, a driver, memory storing one or more computer programs, and one or more processors operatively coupled with the at least one sensor, the driver, and the memory, wherein the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the robot to detect occurrence of an event through the at least one sensor, identify an interaction corresponding to the event, identify a user context, identify an interaction parameter based on history information stored in the memory, the interaction, and the user context, control the driver to perform the interaction based on the identified interaction parameter, obtain information on a user's response according to the performed interaction, and update the history information based on information on the identified interaction parameter and the user's response.
Referring to FIG. 1A below, a robot #100 may detect the occurrence of an event. Alternatively, the robot may obtain a control command for controlling the robot. The robot may detect the occurrence of an event based on at least one sensor. Here, the event may be a command input of the user for controlling the robot such as an utterance or gesture. Alternatively, the robot may obtain information on the occurrence of an event through the communication interface #120 or a user interface #130 (of FIG. 2 below), and detect the occurrence of the event.
When an event occurs, the robot may identify an interaction corresponding to an event (or a control command). Here, the interaction (or service) may mean the function of the robot 100 provided by the robot to the user.
For example, the robot may detect occurrence of a voice input event of the user by detecting a voice, such as “come here” from the user. The robot may identify an interaction “approach a user” corresponding to the detected voice input of the user.
The robot may identify a context of the user. The context of the user may denote identification information of the user, location information of the user, pose information of the user, or weather information, but this is merely an embodiment of the disclosure, and may refer to various information related to the user.
The robot may identify an interaction parameter based on the history information stored in the robot, the identified interaction, and the identified context of the user 10. For example, if the identified interaction is “approach the user” and the identified user context is “user: user 1, user location: living room,” the robot may identify an interaction parameter for performing the identified interaction based on a stored interaction performance history information matched to the identified interaction and the identified user context. In this case, when the number or condition of the first history matched with the identified interaction and the identified context of the user 10 does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the interaction parameter may be identified based on the second history.
Samsung's FIG. 2 above is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a robot; and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a robot.
For those interested in the future home robotics, review Samsung's full patent details here.