Development of a small biped entertainment robot QRIO

SDR-4X II is the latest prototype model which is a small biped entertainment robot. This is the improved model of SDR-4X. In this paper we report especially about sensing system of this robot which is important and essential for a small biped entertainment robot which will be used in home environment. One technology is the design of motion sensing system. This technology is the inclination sensor system and the force sensor system which obtains the inclination of the trunk and the foot with force. Another technology is the real-world sensing system. One is the touch sensing system. The robot is used in normal home environment, so we should strongly consider the safety for human. Another is the vision sensor system. The configuration and the distance image acquisition are explained. Next is the audio sensor system which obtains the sound and the voice information. The hardware system and the direction recognition are explained. These sensing systems are the key to make the biped robot walking and dynamic motion highly stable and understand the real-world around the robot.