Abstract
We will develop a saxophone-playing robot that enables human-robot interaction. Our previous generation of robots was larger and more complex to achieve higher performance, which made human interaction difficult. Therefore, we began developing the Waseda Anthropomorphic Saxophonist robot X (WAS-X), redesigned to simulate a saxophonist playing in a seated posture. In the early stages of development, the robot was created by a product designer using Design Thinking. The robot was designed with the saxophone centered. The design reference points are integrated and organized to restructure the robot, resulting in a small and simple configuration and a stable blowing range. This approach, Instrument centered design, is a fundamental development concept for WAS-X. However, the performance of WAS-X has not yet reached the level of beginners. In addition, the sound quality of WAS-X was comparable to that of previous robots, even though a neck strap held it. The cause of these problems probably involves the condition of the blown air and the contact points with many instruments. Thus, this research focused on the keys and fingers, the contact points between the saxophone and the robot. As a result, the lower sound quality was improved using a hybrid soft material for the fingers. These fingers are flexible plastic fingers with silicone rubber tips. Furthermore, a fingering control system was also implemented to adjust the initial values efficiently.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Tokyo Women’s Medical University/Waseda University Joint Institution for Advanced Biomedical Sciences (TWIns), Humanoid Robotics Institute (HRI), Parametric Technology Corp., Microsoft, Dassault Systèmes and Yamaha Corp. For supporting this work. The authors would also like to thank Dr. S. Wesugi from Waseda Univ. And Mr. K. Omori from Sony Electronics Inc. For their useful insights.
This study was conducted with the support of the Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University; Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences (TWIns), Waseda University; Future Robotics Organization, Waseda University, and as part of the humanoid project at the Humanoid Robotics Institute, Waseda University. Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology also supported the present work.
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Uchiyama, J., Hashimoto, T., Ohta, H., Lin, JY., Cosentino, S., Takanishi, A. (2023). A Humanoid Saxophone-Playing Robot Based on Instrument-Centered Design. In: Chen, J.Y.C., Fragomeni, G. (eds) Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality. HCII 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14027. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35634-6_21
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