To investigate the human mechanisms involved in musical instrument performance, the humanoid saxophone playing robot was developed. However, there are limitations regarding the performance stability and difficulties in controlling dynamics. To address these issues and ensure stable sound production, an improved pneumatic circuit that combines intraoral pressure control with the existing flow control mechanism was developed in this study. The oral cavity was improved by reforming the frame part with hard materials to increase air tightness and facilitate easier maintenance compared to the previous design. Soft material was partly used to enable tongue movement and cross section change while absorbing echoes in oral cavity. A proportional valve was implemented as the air outlet of the oral cavity to mimic the human act of air inhalation, solving the problem of control delay and enabling smoother note transitions. The improved system allows the robot to deliver a consistent and stable performance, enabling a better musical expression.

A growing need of socially assistive devices is now present in several countries affected by ageing societies. Robotics offers a solution to this problem, however the introduction of such devices is proving to be challenging because of users' acceptance. The cultural factor, blended with the background religion, may be critical in obtaining a positive impression. In order to achieve this goal, we introduce the use of skeuomorphism into robotics and present one first application: the development of DarumaTO social robot. DarumaTO is inspired to the traditional Buddhist and Shinto doll called Daruma, and it has has 2 degrees of freedom. It can communicate through visual tracking, voice and facial expression. The design results into a device that has a familiar appearance to a Buddhist or Shinto elderly person.

Preserving mobility, the ability to keep a correct posture and dynamic balance in order to walk properly, is fundamental to maintain autonomy in daily life. Based on the correlation between muscle groups and autonomy, previous research has suggested that maintaining muscular tone in knee extensors is critical. Continuous training of knee extensors during aging is therefore essential to maintain independence. In this work, it is hypothesized that it is possible to estimate knee extensor activity only from IMU data based on a simple lower limbs model. The accuracy of the knee extensor activity estimation algorithm has been tested using sEMG measurements as control data on three different walking patterns: normal walk, fast walk and stair climbing. Estimated knee torque area and measured muscular activity for each step were compared confirming a high estimation accuracy with a correlation efficient R=0.80. Moreover, muscular activity can be divided based on intensity in three groups of statistically significant difference confirmed by the Steel-Dwass method. Future works should test the usability of the algorithm for different walking patterns, and use the collected data and the refined algorithm to implement a smart resistive device to increase knee extensor exertion during each walking pattern to the level necessary for sufficient extensor training.

The number of older adults is increasing much faster than the other age groups in the world. Especially in Japan, more and more older adult are becoming functionally independent. The smart home are appearing which provides comfort and monitors the life of the residents. However, when thinking about healthy older adults, there are two important points to take into account for the smart home: providing comfort and monitoring the position inside the house of the older adults on their daily life. This can also help their families giving them peace of mind. In this study, we designed a smart home system which includes low-cost sensor parts and a finger robot. This system can be used to control home appliances, such as air conditioners to keep the residents in a comfortable environment. Without the need of additional sensors only by using CO2 sensors, this system can provide information such as the room the resident is in, or if he/she is at home or not. As a result, we show a working system and the CO2 sensor is able to judge the position of the resident, and we are even able to understand the movement path of the resident.

The use of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for gait analysis is gaining popularity because of its advantages of low cost and non-limited workspace. In this context, researchers are focusing on methods for automated data analysis. For example, many algorithms for stride length estimation have been developed. These algorithms rely on event detection to compute gait parameters during walking and on orientation estimation for a more precise double integration of acceleration. However, at the present, there is not comparison between existing algorithms, and the applicability of each algorithm for different walking patterns is not clear. In this paper, we studied the effect on the stride length estimation using three different techniques of event detection and two techniques of orientation estimation, by using an IMU on the lateral side of shank above the ankle. In total 6 patterns of stride estimation algorithms were compared on different walking patterns of normal and brisk walking. We evaluated the techniques in terms of precision, accuracy, and shape of the histogram of the stride estimation error.

The use of inertial sensors to measure spatial parameters of human gait is becoming more and more attractive because of their low cost and simple use in settings outside the laboratories and long tracking experiments. Furthermore, several wearable exoskeletons embed and use such sensors in the internal control loop or to measure the user training progress by monitoring the spatiotemporal parameters of gait, such as the stride length.
Many algorithms for stride length estimation have been developed. However, it is fundamental to implement methodologies to identify critical points on stride length estimation, depending on different walking patterns. In this paper, we studied the effect on stride length estimation of three different techniques to remove the gravitational component of acceleration in self-pace and brisk walking by using an inertial measurement unit on the lateral side of shank above the ankle. We evaluate the techniques by considering precision, accuracy, and shape of the histogram of the stride estimation error.