About the impetus for development and the demonstration experiment Mr. Asakawa is a visually impaired person (totally blind), and he started research and development of AI suitcases around 2017 after he felt “if suitcases could move automatically to guide me on my way” when he was on a business trip. In cooperation with the Next Generation Mobility Assistive Technology Development Consortium (Alps Alpine, Omron, Shimizu Corporation, and IBM Japan), which was established in 2019, they have conducted a series of verifications indoors at New Chitose Airport and in the Nihonbashi Muromachi district (underground passage and five commercial buildings) and outdoors around Miraikan, and from April 2024 they will conduct In April 2024, Miraikan will conduct a demonstration experiment, “Let’s Walk Around the Permanent Exhibition with AI Suitcase,” which will be held at Miraikan. The new model announced this time was developed for the demonstration experiment at Expo 2010 Osaka-Kansai, which opens on April 13. As one of the Expo’s “Robot Experiences,” multiple robots will be operated at the Expo site to collect data not only from the visually impaired, but also from general users. Mr. Takagi explained, “Our first goal is to make the robot available for rental at any time to visitors to the target facilities, and Miraikan’s permanent exhibition and the demonstration test at the Expo are the first models for this. As for his dream for the Expo, Mr. Asakawa said, “I would like to walk around the large roof ring that surrounds the venue by myself with my suitcase.
Usage and Major New Features To use the AI suitcase, a smartphone with a dedicated app is set in the main unit, and the destination is set by touching the screen or by voice. Press the start button on the handle and squeeze the grip to start the movement, and release the grip to stop the movement. The speed of movement can be adjusted with the buttons, and the direction of movement is indicated by vibrations from terminals on both sides of the handle. The new model has added a low-position ambient sensor and improved the wheel mechanism, which allows it to more smoothly negotiate pedestrian crossings, Braille blocks, and other bumps. In addition, the new model has been modified from a commercially available suitcase, but the original model can now be used regardless of the user’s height or dominant hand. In addition, to make it easier to understand the direction of travel, a disk-type direction indicator is mounted on the handle. The user can now intuitively know at what angle it is best to turn. When in trouble, an AI voice announces the surrounding situation at the touch of a button.
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