4‑5

4 Innovation Projects Innovation Initiatives

Supporting the Tokyo 2020 Games
with People‑friendly Robots
OGISHIMA Keiji UCHIDA Yoshifumi
KUROKAWA Takahiro HONDA Renji

Various new initiatives have been implemented at the Tokyo 2020 Games by The Tokyo Organising Committee of theOlympic and Paralympic Games the national government the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and partner companies(Panasonic Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation) to realize the vision of being “the most innovative Games inhistory” bringing positive change to the world Among the initiatives Panasonic supported the Games by utilizing Power
Assist Suits and robot vacuum cleaners This article introduces the details of these initiatives
Keywords：Tokyo 2020 Games Robot project Power assist suits Robot vacuum cleaner

1．Introduction

robots using the Games as an opportunity to passthem on as a legacy to the future

The Tokyo 2020 Robot Project implemented various
initiatives with the following objectives :･To show that robots can be helpful in various

This article introduces the details of the initiatives
11

Power Assist Suit ATOUN MODEL Y (Figure 1)

situations during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic andHere 20 units of the ATOUN MODEL Y were used toParalympic Games (hereafter referred to as “Tokyo

reduce the workload of the operational staff during the2020 Games”) which is attracting the attention ofGames The ATOUN MODEL Y was used for transport-people around the world

ing heavy food and beverages waste materials etc and･To demonstrate to the world that a safe secureand sustainable operation of the Games is possible
through using robots in the face of the COVID‑19
pandemic･To promote the social implementation of these

OGISHIMA Keiji
Business Development Office Panasonic Holdings Corporation
E‑mail ogishima keiji@jp panasonic com
UCHIDA YoshifumiBusiness Development Office Panasonic Holdings Corporation
E‑mail uchida yoshifumi@jp panasonic com
KUROKAWA Takahiro
Business Development Office Panasonic Holdings Corporation
E‑mail kurokawa takahiro@jp panasonic com
HONDA Renji
Living Appliances and Solutions Company Panasonic Corporation
E‑mail honda renji@jp panasonic com

The Journal of The Institute of Electronics Information and Communication Engineers Vol 105 No 8 Supplement pp 232‑237 August 2022
© 2022 The Institute of Electronics Information and Communication Engineers

232

Figure 1

ATOUN MODEL Y

THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERS

for loading the luggage of Games officials onto buses

shows an example of its use by a spotter loader The

The specifications of ATOUN MODEL Y are as
follows :organising committee and Games officials operated thePower Assist Suits from battery recharging andreplacement to installation and spotter loaders highly

ATOUN MODEL Y specifications :rated the suits The WPPO commented “The model･

Weight : 4 5 kg

used in this competition was the best one as we had･

Assist force : 10 kgf max

been testing and devising it since 2017 Thanks to･Operating duration : approximately 4 hours (as-Panasonic we had the most innovative competition” Hesuming that work is performed using ATOUN)

also stated that they were pleased with the results･Ideal operator height : 150‑190 cm･Features : The sensor detects the movement of112

the lower back of the person wearing the suit andthe motor reduces the burden on the lower backwhen holding a heavy load

Application 2 : The Olympic and Paralympic
Village

The cleaning and food and beverage departments
have used the Power Assist Suits since mid‑July in theOlympic and Paralympic Village The cleaning depart-111

Application 1 : Para Powerlifting

ment used it to clean trash (Figure 3) and the food andAfter a successful track record of use in past national
and international competitions World Para Powerlifting

beverage department used the Power Assist Suits
especially for carrying beverages (Figure 4)(WPPO) has decided to adopt Power Assist Suits for theTokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in 2019 and Panasonic113

has signed a partnership agreement with WPPO tobecome the official supplier

Application 3 : Haneda Airport and Narita
AirportAt the airports the Power Assist Suits were used forThe suits were used by spotter loaders (assistantsloading and unloading the luggage of athletes and related

who change weights) in all 20 weight classes of thepersonnel Figure 5 shows an example of the use ofpowerlifting competition held at the Tokyo International

ATOUN MODEL Y This model has been used by theForum for five days from August 26 to 30 2021 Figure 2airlines and was evaluated to be effective for up‑and‑down transportation such as stacking and unloading
12

ATOUN MODEL Y＋kote

This variation helps with arm support (Figure 6) The
motor unit attached to the upper frame of ATOUNMODEL Y winds the wire that connects to the wristholder and pulls up the arm for support with power andFigure 2■

Assistance for Para Powerlifting Competitions

Terminology

LiDAR
Light Detection and Ranging A sensor thatemits pulsed laser light onto an object and measures thedistance based on the time it takes for the reflected scattered
light to return
SLAM
Simultaneous Localization and Mapping A
technology that simultaneously estimates self‑location andmaps the environment■

Figure 3

Application in the Olympic and Paralympic Village(Cleaning Section)

Special Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020233Figure 6

Figure 4

ATOUN MODEL Y＋kote

Application in the Olympic and Paralympic Village(Food and Beverage Section)

Figure 7

Olympic Stadium Athletics (Shot Put)

thereby providing powerful and speedy support

Figure 5

Application at an Airport (Transportation Division)

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Application : Shot Put

The officials utilized the Power Assist Suits in theOlympic and Paralympic Athletics to retrieve the shot inthe Shot Put Figure 7 shows an example of the system

speed

being used The officials gave positive feedback “It wasThe specifications of ATOUN MODEL Y＋kote are asfollows

effective when standing up after bending over and I wasable to lift the menʼs shot with one hand easily”
However some commented that it was too hot to wear

ATOUN MODEL Y＋kote Specifications :the Power Assist Suits for a long time as it was worn for･

Weight : 5 8 kg

more than two hours under the scorching sun at theAssist force : For arms‑12 kgf (max) ; For lower

Tokyo 2020 Games･

back‑10 kgf (max)･Operating duration : approximately 2 5 hours(assuming that work is performed using ATOUN)･･

13Power Assist Suit ATOUN HIMICO

The wires connecting the motors to the knees areIdeal operator height : 150‑190 cm

mounted on the waist housing to support and help users

Feature : The finger sensors detect motion andmove their legs while walking (Figure 8)

the motor unit attached to the frame of the ATOUN

The specifications of ATOUN HIMICO are as follows

MODEL Y will wind the wires to lift the arms
234

THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERSATOUN HIMICO Specifications :pending on the walking situation )･Weight : 2 5 kg

･Wire tension : Max 10 kgf･Operating duration : Approximately 2 hours (de-･Idealoperator

size : Height

155 cm‑190 cm ;waist‑max100 cm (measured with cloth)･Feature : ATOUN HIMICO supports the userʼswalk Wires connecting motors on the waist to theknees support pulling and lifting the userʼs legs

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Application 1 : National Stadium

With the cleaning department of the Olympic Stadium the Power Assist Suits were used for long walks
inside the facility and for moving up and down stairs
Figure 9 shows an example of device usage
The following evaluations were received : “The device
was very effective when it fits” “It was especiallyeffective when climbing stairs” and “I felt the range of
motion of my knees narrow but this was resolved bygetting used to the knee supporter and the way it fits”
14Figure 8

ATOUN HIMICO

Development Model of Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Figure 10 shows the development model of the robot
vacuum cleaner It is equipped with a camera andLiDAR (light detection and ranging) (Terminology) toautomatically recognize the cleaning environment ofMPCʼs (main press centre) common areas and automatically clean every corner In addition “nanoe TM X (Note 1)”
sanitizes the dust collection box (Note 2) to provide a clean
and comfortable facility space
The functions are as follows
Equipped function ① : SLAM (Simultaneous Localiza-

Figure 9Olympic Stadium (Cleaning Section)

Figure 10(Note 1) The “nanoe” mark is a trademark of Panasonic Corporation(Note 2) The sanitization effect may differ depending on the conditionof the dust in the dust collection box

Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Special Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020235

tion and Mapping)(Terminology) technology
The MPC is equipped with a high‑precision LiDAR
and utilizes SLAM technology for mapping the environment to generate a map of the MPC common area whichis the space to be cleaned The map‑based driving
enables driving in a wide area of space
Equipped function ② : Human/object recognition
Conventional robot vacuum cleaners are designed tooperate in spaces with few people This time a camera‑
based recognition technology was installed to operate inFigure 11

Application of Robot Vacuum Cleaner at MPC

spaces where people are present enabling the robot tomove in response to people and objects①

If there is a person in front of the robot it stops

2．Conclusion
This project aimed to show that the robot vacuum

and greets the person
If there is an object in front of the robot it

cleaners and the Power Assist Suits are helpful incontinues to avoid the obstacle and cleans the area

everyday work and that many people can see them We②

believe that the results of their use by many people haveEquipped function 3 : Sanitization of dust collection
chamber by nanoeTM

contributed to the Tokyo 2020 Games and advanced thesocial implementation of robots On the other hand we

The health hazards caused by dust during garbage

also received comments on issues and improvements

collection are reduced by equipping the robot with athat should be made using the robot We want to makefunction to sanitize the garbage by performing nanoe

TMsterilization in the dust collection chamber after
cleaning

the most of these suggestions for future development
In carrying out the Tokyo 2020 Robot Project wethank the Organising Committee the Innovation Promotion Office and many other stakeholders involved in theTesting organization : TECHNO SCIENCE CO LTD

project for their assistance in making the robots

Test method : Measured the number of bacteria

available in many places during the Tokyo 2020 Gamesadhering to a piece of cloth in the dust collection box in atest room (approximately 6 tatami mats)
Method of inhibition : nanoe

TMreleased

Object : Adhered bacteria

We express our deepest gratitude to all of them
We would also like to thank everyone who operated
and used our robots
Thank you very much for your cooperation

Test result : 99% or more suppression in 2 5 hours(No 20070646‑001)
Date of test report issued : March 5 2021 (test wasconducted on two types of bacteria) not effective for allbacteria
141

Utilization : Main Press Centre (MPC)

From July 19 to September 5 2021 the common area
floor of the Main Press Centre at Tokyo Big Sight wascleaned to reduce the workload of the cleaning crew
during the Games Figure 11 shows an example of theuse of this system
The robot vacuum cleaner was handy during theGamesIn addition there were requests at the Games for therobot to clean the meal and rest areas for volunteers
instead of just the lobby236(Received on March 18 2022 ; Revised on March 29 2022)

OGISHIMA Keiji
He graduated from the Graduate School of
Systems Information Science Kyushu University in 2002 He joined Matsushita Communication Industrial Co Ltd the same year and wastransferred to the Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic Enterprise Division in 2016 where heparticipated in the Tokyo 2020 Robot Project
He is in charge of leading the promotion of robot
vacuum cleaners and the Power Assist Suits foruse in the Tokyo 2020 Games
UCHIDA Yoshifumi
He graduated from Kobe City College ofTechnology in 1985 He joined Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co Ltd in the same year
He was transferred to the Tokyo Olympic &Paralympic Enterprise Division in 2014 where
he was in charge of creating new businesses
around accessibility as the head of the Paralympic Division

THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERS

KUROKAWA Takahiro
He graduated from the Tokyo Institute ofTechnology in 1994 He joined Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co Ltd in the same year
He was transferred to the Tokyo Olympic &Paralympic Enterprise Division in 2015 where
he was in charge of creating new businesses
related to accessibility and robotics His goal isto create a society where everyone can userobots starting with the Tokyo 2020 GamesHONDA Renji
He graduated from the Graduate School of
Science and Technology Kumamoto University in 2001 He joined Matsushita ElectricIndustrial Co Ltd the same year and wastransferred to the Appliance Company in 2016
where he was in charge of advanced development for cleaners He was involved in thedevelopment of the MC‑GRS1M (RULO Pro)
commercial robot vacuum cleaner HE was also
the development leader for the development
model of a robot vacuum cleaner demonstrated
at the Tokyo 2020 Games㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇Special Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020237