CanguRo Lopako Neʻe by Shunji Yamanaka - fuRo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award Palatina in Hoʻolālā Kaʻa, Neʻe a me Lawe ʻOhua Competition Category.
PalatinaKaʻa· 2021
CanguRo Lopako Neʻe
Client: Shunji Yamanaka and Future Robotics Technology Center (fuRo)
A' Design Award Palatina Winner in Kaʻa Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #106350The Design
About CanguRo Lopako Neʻe
Me CanguRo, ua hana ʻia kahi pilina hou ma waena o nā mīkini a me ke kanaka i ka wā o ka noʻonoʻo kuʻuna. Pōmaikaʻi ʻia me nā ʻenehana lopako a me AI i holomua, ʻo kēia lopako huila ʻekolu he hoa kūʻokoʻa a launa pū, hiki ke kaʻa ponoʻī a hahai i ka hele ʻana o ke kanaka ma o nā kauoha kelepona ʻakamai. Eia hou, i ka wā e loli ai, lilo ʻo CanguRo i mea lawe pilikino e hāʻawi ana i ka holo ʻoiaʻiʻo. ʻO kona manaʻo nui ʻo ka hāʻawi ʻana i ka hauʻoli o ka neʻe ʻana a hoʻoikaika i ke ola lā i lā o nā kānaka.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Palatina
Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā CanguRo Lopako Neʻe i ka A' Design Award Palatina, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā ʻoiaʻiʻo loa ka kūʻokoʻa, ka nani a me ka kamahaʻo. He mau mea kupaianaha o ka hana noʻeau nā lanakila Palatina, he mau hōʻike o nā palena o ka noʻonoʻo hana noʻeau, a hōʻike lākou i ka ʻoihana ʻoi aku a me ka ʻuhane akamai o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo kēia mau hoʻolālā nā hana kaulana loa e wehewehe ana i ka nani o kekahi au, kōkua i ke ola pono o ke kaiāulu a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. Hōʻike ka hoʻolālā CanguRo Lopako Neʻe i ke kūlana ʻoi kelakela i ʻoi aku ma mua o ka palena a hoʻomaikaʻi ʻole ʻole i ka honua ma o kona mau ʻano pōmaikaʻi a waiwai. He hana ka hoʻolālā CanguRo Lopako Neʻe i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Palatina e hoʻāla i ka makemake, hoʻoulu, hoʻoikaika, hoʻohauʻoli a hoʻā i ka hauʻoli nui.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- With CanguRo, we hope to forge a new relationship between machines and humans in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Blessed with advanced robotics and AI technologies, this three-wheeled robot is an independent yet friendly partner, capable of autonomously coming to you via smartphone commands, avoiding obstacles and following your walk. When it transforms, furthermore, CanguRo is ready to give us an actual ride, being not just a vehicle but a trustworthy creature like a horse.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- This three-wheeled mobility robot has 750 mm in length (in the vehicle mode), 440 mm of width and 64 kg of mass, and is driven by two front wheels (12 inch) and steered by one rear wheel (10 inch). With a laser sensor installed, it can move to a specified destination autonomously and follow a walking human. It can also transform to a personal transporter, featured by active lean balancing, bilaterally weight-controlled handle, body-sonic status communication and automatic braking.
- Tags
- Mobility Robot, Autonomous Mobile Robot, Partner Robot, Personal Vehicle, Transporter, Artificial Intelligence
- Production Technology
- Essential to a machine intelligence for autonomous navigation is a technology, called SLAM, for localization and map building. Our original software package is successfully implemented with navigation and obstacle-detecting functions. Another importance is on the enhancement of the sense of unity. All the elements that make up this robot, including its figure, structure and various control systems combining familiarity and functionality, are fully designed for this objective.
- Design Challenge
- Enhancing a sense of unity between the rider and the robot is our challenge. For this purpose, several new ideas are implemented. For example, CanguRo uses tactically placed force sensors to find rider's intentions and changes its posture for stable turns. It also has a unique communication system of heartbeat-like body sonic and bilaterally weight-controlled handle. Footrests are located at swing forks closely to in-wheel drive units, allowing us to feel CanguRo's drive force through our legs.
- Research
- As a new class of partner robots, an actual working model, CanguRo, capable of self-driving, following a walking human as well as transforming to a personal vehicle, has been designed and developed. The primary concept is to promote a sense of unity between the robot and us and to offer the joy of moving, leading to encouragement of going outside and being active in our daily lives. Through its presentations to the society, we continue to evaluate the social value of such a mobility robot.
- Inspiration
- Since old days, horses have been our faithful and reliable partners. They have not only been a means of our transportation, but also lived with us and helped our lives in many ways through carrying loads or going along for hunting. This design project was inspired by the realization of their importance as our close friends. Focusing on their roles in our lives, we have attempted and succeeded to create such a partner using today's civilization technologies.
- Project Duration
- This mobility robot was designed and developed in Japan and exhibited at several museums including Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, 2019 and the Design Museum in London, 2020.
- Operation Flow
- The operation of CanguRo is rather easy. While surroundings are mapped automatically, you can choose either of the autonomous robot or the transporter operation. At a shopping mall, for example, you can summon CanguRo by a smartphone and start shopping while leaving your baggage on the following CanguRo. If you feel tired, you can ride CanguRo in the transporter mode as well. These functionalities of CanguRo have a great potential to change our daily lives and expand the range of our activities.
- Patents
- Future Robotics Technology Center (fuRo)
- Team Members
- Shunji Yamanaka
Takayuki Furuta
Hideaki Yamato
Kiyoshi Irie
Takashi Kodachi
Kazuki Ogihara
Yoshitaka Hara
Kengo Toda
Yu Okumura
Midori Nomura
Masaharu Shimizu
Tomoaki Yoshida
Masahiro Tomono - Image Credits
- Photo by Yusuke Nishibe
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