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Preface
Waseda University has been one of the leading research sites for
anthropomorphic robots since the late Prof. Ichiro Kato and his
colleagues started the WABOT Project in 1970. Since then, jest about
ten years, by integrating the latest key technologies, we have developed
a variety of humanoid robots including WABOT-1 which is the fiest
full-scale human-like robot made in 1973, the musician robot WABOT-2
in 1984, Hadaly-2 which works together with a human partner and
the biped walking robot WABIAN in 1997. Not only was a lot of fundamental
technology created but also the many talented engineers and scientists
were nurtured from these activities.
Based on above results, Waseda
University established the Humanoid Robotics Institute in April
2000 to promote research activities which aim to construct a new
relationship between humans and machines in the advanced information
society. Essentially, it is expected that a robot will provide assistance
in housework, for aged people and for entertainment to keep up the
amenity of life and human environment in the next century. A type
of human robot, a Humanoid is expected, to work together with human
partners in our living environment, and it will share the same working
space and will experience the same thinking and behavior patterns
as a human being. The robot will integrate information from sensors
and show coordinated actions which realize a high level of communication
with a human without any special training using multimedia such
as speech, facial expression and body movement.
This booklet introduces
the recent results of individual research groups. Although Robotics
is essentially an interdisciplinary engineering, it is vital that
humanoid research be done in cooperation with biology, psychology,
sociology and medicine. The Humanoid Robotics Institute will open
the door for researchers from both inside and outside of the university
to serve bot only the academic and industry worlds but also society
as a whole.
Humanoid
Research Institute
Director: Shuji Hashimoto
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