In this Dec. 18, 2019, photo, Toyota Motor Corp.'s human-shaped T-HR3 robot, right, is remotely controlled by its staff member, left, during a demonstration in Tokyo. Toyota's upgraded version of the human-shaped T-HR3 now has faster and smoother finger movements because the wearable remote-control device has become lighter and easier to use. The person wearing a headset and wiring made the robot move in exactly the same way he was moving, waving or making dance-like movements, as sensors sent computerized signals to the robot of what they detected as human movements. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)
The Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. has unveiled an upgraded version of its human-shaped T-HR3 robot. The robot, which is controlled remotely by a person wearing a headset and wiring on his or her arms and hands, now has faster and smoother finger movements because the controlling device is lighter and easier to use.
Such a robot could, in the future, be used to perform surgery in a distant place where a doctor cannot travel. It also might allow people to feel like they're participating in events they can't actually attend.
In a recent demonstration in Tokyo, a person wearing a headset and wiring made the robot move in exactly the same way he was moving, waving or making dance-like movements.
Smaller robots that look like the mascots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were controlled in the same way.
Toyota engineer Tomohisa Moridaira said human-shaped robots can be controlled intuitively because all the person operating it has to do is move naturally.
The challenge still lies in securing reliable and speedy telecommunications connections so that signals are accurately relayed from the human to the robot, said Moridaira.
The robots were connected by local networks in the demonstrations.
___
Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
In this Dec. 18, 2019, photo, Toyota Motor Corp. engineer Tomohisa Moridaira, shows a upgraded version of the human-shaped T-HR3, which now has enhanced finger movements that can be remotely controlled during a demonstration in Tokyo. In the demonstration, a person wearing a headset and wiring made the robot move in exactly the same way he was moving, waving or making dance-like movements, as sensors sent computerized signals to the robot of what they detected as human movements. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)
The Associated Press
In this Dec. 18, 2019, photo, a staff member arranges Toyota Motor Corp.'s robot developed for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, in Tokyo. Toyota upgraded version of the human-shaped T-HR3 now has faster and smoother finger movements because the wearable remote-control device has become lighter and easier to use. Smaller robots that look like the mascots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were controlled in the same way. Japanese automaker Toyota is an Olympic sponsor. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)
The Associated Press