WABOT-2: Autonomous robot with dexterous finger-arm--Finger-arm coordination control in keyboard performance

Advanced robots will have to not only have ´hard´ functions but also have ´soft´ functions. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to realize ´soft´ functions of robots such as dexterity, speediness and intelligence by the development of an anthropomorphic intelligent robot playing keyboard instrument. This paper describes the development of keyboard playing robot WABOT-2(WAseda roBOT-2) with a focus on the mechanisms of arm-and-hand which has 21 degrees of freedom in total, their hierarchically structured control computer system, the information processing method at the high level computer and finger-arm coordination control which realizes the autonomous movement of WABOT-2.