This study discusses control engineering experiment classes and considers how we realize the same experiment together simultaneously in remote locations that are far apart from one another. This class operation approach may emphasize the importance of COVID-19 precautions or the rationalization of lab classes, considering an aging society with a low birth rate. We propose a system configuration that safely realizes high-education classes using a hierarchical optimal control method. In this paper, we report first simultaneous experimental classes in Nagoya and Gifu national Universities which are approximately 50km away on 21 November 2023 using simultaneous stabilizing control of Internet-connected multiple inverted pendulums. One lecturer in Nagoya University operated classes for both the universities. The real one-way communication delay from one side PC interface to the other was approximately 50ms on average. The effectiveness of the proposed system was mostly verified by the questionnaire survey results for 75 participating students in both the universities.

In communication situations, unconscious mimicry of behavior can make a good impression on the opposite partner and facilitate communication. This phenomenon is known as the chameleon effect, and it is also confirmed to be effective when intentional mimicking of behavior. As it has been confirmed that there is a correlation between the stress relief effects and impressions, intentionally mimicry of behavior is considered effective in enhancing the effects of therapy robots, which provide comfort and healing through interaction. However, therapy robots are typically not humanoid and have few moving parts, making it hard to mimic simply. In this paper, I focused on the entrainment, a phenomenon in which nonverbal information is similar, same as the chameleon effect, and in which similarity in temporal transition is important. Then, the influence of the mimicry of the temporal transition of the moving parts characterizing behavior (motion rhythm) on the psychological stress relief effects was investigated. As a result, it was confirmed that the psychological relief effects of imitating the motion rhythm were significantly higher than that of fixing or randomizing the motion rhythm (especially the relief effect of tension, depression, and fatigue). In addition, interviews with the experimental participants suggested that mimicking the motion rhythm was effective as a method for generating fluctuating and consistent behavior.

Studies have been conducted on tidying up objects on the floor by mobile robots. Problems in the studies are i) limiting the number of objects due to the number of manipulators, ii) difficulty of activities in the space with a low ceiling, and iii) limiting the size of objects due to the size of the robot body. This study proposes a manipulator which attaches a bag to the end-effector of a parallel link mechanism attached a bag and a small mobile robot equipped with the manipulator. The bag has the advantages in which it can carry multiple objects, it is smaller when it is not used, and it can carry long objects. These advantages solve problems (i), (ii), and extend the limit of problem (iii) to long objects. The robot has three manipulators: one with a bag and two for auxiliary collection. The auxiliary manipulators are used to collect multiple objects, collect long objects, and return from turnover during transportation. For problem (i), it realizes tidying up multiple objects that the auxiliary manipulator grasps an object and drops it into a bag when other object is in a bag. For problem (ii), it is possible to continue the task in the space with a low ceiling by reducing the height of the robot when a bag is not used. For problem (iii), it is possible to tidy up a long object by pushing a long object against a surrounding wall and placing it in a bag. Finally, this study demonstrates tidying up multiple objects which includes collection, transportation, and discharge by image recognition．

Unstable robots such as humanoids are at high risk of hardware damage due to falls. Shock mitigation methods for robots using frames are not retractable, and those using airbags are not reversible. In this study, the purpose is to mitigate the impact of a fall by using a folding umbrella, which is reversible and compact. When the robot falls over due to external force, the folding umbrella is released to mitigate the shock to the body by detecting and predicting the fall based on the angle, angular velocity and acceleration information obtained by the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The robot recognizes the fall pattern by IMU and performs a fall recovery action according to each pattern. Finally, the robot closes the umbrella by wire system and returns to its original state.

An ultrasonic anemometer is one of the typical equipment that can be used to measure 3D wind speed. Most of commercially available ones consist of three 1D anemometers, and 3D wind speed is geometrically calculated from independently measured wind speed components. In addition, a time-division multiplexing, which is introduced to avoid the interference of bidirectionally transmitted sound waves, makes it difficult to shorten the response time of measurements. In this work, a new calculation method to directly obtain 3D wind speed from propagation times on multiple ultrasonic paths is proposed. The required number of the ultrasonic paths becomes four without using the time-division multiplexing. The requirement of bidirectional propagation is no longer necessary in the new method. Therefore avoiding interference, which is usually a problem with the measurements using continuous waves to improve the response time, becomes easier. The calculation of wind speed is reduced to solving a linear equation derived from Schotland's propagation model, and no prior information on sound speed is required. Proper arrangement of transducers is also discussed based on the linear equation. A wind tunnel test is conducted to verify the feasibility of the new method.