The 2020 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games are being held in Tokyo and Toyota is playing a key role in on-site mobility and transportation. Toyota introduces a series of 7 robots specially designed for the occasion and it hopes they will impress international visitors as well as the event’s global audience.
The Japanese automaker named it “Tokyo 2020 Robot Project,” and the robots are designed for the range of roles that include entertainment and assistance for athletes and sports fans during the month-long sports event. The robots are detailed below.
Mascot Robot:
Two robots are designed based on the event’s official mascots, Miraitowa and Someity. These blue and pink-eyed robots can interact with humans and will work as meeters, greeters, and entertainers around some of the venues. They are equipped with a camera on head to recognize people nearby, and once recognized, it uses digital eyes that can offer expressions in response to human interaction.
In addition, the miniature joint units across their entire body offer robots high flexibility and the user can operate the robots safely and with high operational functionality.
T-HR3 humanoid robot:
T-HR3 humanoid robot will allow guests in remote or distant locations to interact with athletes. T-HR3 also can stream images and sounds from the remote locations back to the Olympic site while allowing people to converse with and high-five athletes and others, feeling as if they were truly physically present.
T-TR1 communication robot:
The next one is the T-TR1 telepresence robot that has a wheeled base, cameras, and a super-large vertical display. It is aimed at giving people who can’t get to the Games in person the chance to attend virtually. It lets remote people chat with fans and possibly athletes, as well as watch events via the robot’s camera.
Human Support Robot (HSR) and Delivery Support Robot (DSR):
The wheel-based, meter-high HSR comes with a robotic arm and hand to grab and pick up objects. It provides guidance to seats for guests at venues and also transporting some snacks, souvenirs and other light cargo to them at their seat while they watch the games.
DSR, meanwhile, is more dedicated to delivering drinks and snacks or other items ordered via a smartphone app. This is also a wheel-based robot that has a basket to bring the item. The customer can either take the goods themselves or command the HSR to pass it to them.
Field Support Robot (FSR):
The last but certainly not the least is a Field Event Support Robot that is equipped with autonomous functions as part of throwing event such as the javelin. The robot will autonomously take the best route possible to retrieve the things like javelins and taking it back to the athlete.
It’s hard to say exactly how useful the robots will be at next year’s Olympics, but the event gives Toyota the chance to put its technology in the spotlight.
