TansuBot: A drawer-type storage system for supporting object search with contents' photos and usage histories

Abstract

In spite of IT innovation, people cannot get rid of non-creative tasks of searching daily-use objects at home. This paper presents a drawer-type storage system for supporting object search, “TansuBot”. By using this system and a smart device (e.g. smart phone), a user can review the photos of contents stored in the system. In addition, the system can present candidate drawers where the searching target object may be stored based on preliminary information such as usage histories. Concretely, LED blinking and pop-up actions (pushing drawers forward) are used for display. To realize these supports, a stacker crane type wall-moving robot is equipped at the backside of storage. The robot has a movable camera and mechanisms to push a drawer forward. For easy installation to a home, storage efficiency and cost reduction should be considered in the design of the instrument. Especially for cost reduction, this paper presents an approach to use wooden parts for main mechanisms. This approach also contributes to user-friendly presence and appearance of the instrument. This paper reports about the development of a prototype and an experiment to evaluate the functions for supporting object search. The results of the experiment prove the importance of the functions realized by the system; displaying contents' photos on a smart device and showing candidate drawers to investigate. The outcomes indicate that those functions have positive effects on reduction of searching time and mental burden.