Robot position control via voice instruction including ambiguous expressions of degree

Ambiguous expressions of degree are frequently used, when instructing another person regarding a task involving movement (,e.g "move it a little" , "lift it more" and so on ). To make a more friendly robot, these ambiguous expressions should be quantified adequately by means of a robot control system that offers effective support. In this paper, we aim at constructing an effective controller coping with such ambiguous instructions and making a robot provide useful support for humans. We discuss how to generate appropriate robot arm movement in terms of our sense of distance based on particular expressions of degree. First, we analyzed human arm movement guided by voice instruction including some kinds of expressions of degree. From this analysis, we then obtained a model which estimates a desired length of movement according to expressions of degree in the same manner as does a person. Finally, we executed experiments to show that our model can lead a robot to a desired goal position guided by several instructions.