Development of a human-like sensory feedback mechanism for an anthropomorphic talking robot

Abstract

We developed a sensor feedback mechanism for an anthropomorphic talking robot WT-5 (Waseda Talker No. 5). In human speech, sensory feedback is more important when we producing obstacle consonant sounds, such as /t/ and /d/, compared to the auditory feedback mechanism. We reproduce this mechanism by placing tactile sensors and a pressure sensor on the palate of a talking robot and reducing the error between the pressure of the human voice and the robot consonant production. In addition, we developed more efficient optimization methods than those of WT-4, using speech recognition and the pre-optimized memory of vowels. Using these mechanisms, we realized continuous mimic speaking that includes consonant sounds