OMRON

Corporate | Global

OMRON’s Future Vision Achieving Harmony
Between Humans and Machines

ABOUT FORPHEUS

FORPHEUS is state-of-the-art technology that embodies
the world of “harmony” where machines can bring out human ability.

You can experience the future of mankind and machines that OMRON aims for through a rally.

The Name FORPHEUSComes From

“Future OMRON Robotics technology for Exploring Possibility of Harmonized aUtomation with SINIC theoretics.”
A coined term embodying OMRON’s robot technologies based on its unique future prediction theory “SINIC theoretics.”
It is also a combination of “For” and “ORPHEUS (a bard in Greek mythology as a symbol of human creativity)”,
representing OMRON’s attitude of bringing out human creativity and possibility.

SINIC THEORY

Relationship Between
Human and Machines

Relationship Between Human and Machines

OMRON believes that the relationship between humans and machines evolves over time, in three stages.

The 1st stage is one of “replacement” by machines of tasks that need not be done by humans. The OMRON history mirrors this history, as we introduced factory automation, automated ticket gates, and other inventions. The 2nd stage is “collaboration” between humans and machines, which is currently progressing in the world. An example of this is a production line where humans and robots work together, each performing the most suitable task to increase productivity.

And now, the relationship is reaching to the 3rd stage, “harmony” between humans and machines, that extends human capabilities. As machines become a more integral part of society, humans will enjoy machine support in a number of new and different ways that extend the potential of human capabilities. As with FORPHEUS, machines will emerge in every domain that can bring out human capabilities and possibilities.

FORPHEUS embodies the relationship that will exist between humans and machines in the future.
Every year, since 2013, a team of young engineers is assembled to develop and utilize state-of-the-art technology that keeps this table tennis robot tutor evolving.

FORPHEUS, a table tennis robot that embodies OMRON technologies:

How engineers are working to create the future

TECHNOLOGY

At OMRON, research and development is ongoing toward the evolution of its table tennis robot FORPHEUS, leveraging the company’s core technology of “Sensing & Control + THINK.”

Concept for the 9th Generation
“Enriching communication between humans and machines: From one-way to two-way“

System flow

System flow
System flow

Technology

Technology
Technology
GEN 1st
GEN 2nd
GEN 3rd
GEN 4th
GEN 5th
GEN 6th
GEN 7th
GEN 8th
GEN 9th

THE CREATOR

Interviews with developers about
the history of FORPHEUS’s growth

8th GEN

Ryo Mizuyama

By understanding each other, humans and machines can grow even more

7th GEN

Masamune Nakayama

Connecting people and bringing out the potential of teams

6th GEN

Satoshi Yase

A Big Step Towards the Future Where Machines Can Unlock Human Potential

 OMRON TECHNICS

5th GEN

Satoshi Yase

How close can a robot approach the behavior of a human?

 OMRON TECHNICS

4th GEN

Masayuki Koizumi

Delivering technology that helps individuals grow

3rd GEN

Taku Oya

AI can help machines and people grow together

2nd GEN

Masahiro Ikumo

A future where machines will motivate people

1st GEN

Shinji Kawakami

Mission: Develop in six months a machine that will work together with people to achieve a shared goal!

8th Generation FORPHEUS

Developed to make closer connections with people, the 8th-generation FORPHEUS can communicate with human users!

People can now give FORPHEUS verbal instructions, like “Speed up the rally“ or “Hit the ball to the right.“ FORPHEUS embodies a new form of harmony between humans and machines, one that helps people grow by letting them talk with the system during rallies. We showcased the 8th Generation FORPHEUS at the China International Import Expo (CIIE 2023).

The 8th Generation FORPHEUS Development Team
Development leader: Ryo Mizuyama
Team members: Shota Kanamori, Naoto Iwamoto, Takuya Torii, Yoshiki Ito, Masataka Sato

7th Generation FORPHEUS

​​​​Grounded in the SINIC Theory, which serves as a compass for the future, we at OMRON predict that the Autonomous Society is on the horizon. In the Autonomous Society, we believe that values will shift from the material to the spiritual and from the individual to the collective. As we got to work on the 7th generation FORPHEUS, we envisioned one possible crystallization of “harmony between humans and machines”: A machine that connects people, embodying the values of the spiritual and the collective. Over the past two years, the impact of COVID-19 has restricted interpersonal contact and exposed the challenges surrounding human relationships. In that context, we knew that creating a machine that connects people could have enormous benefits. We made significant upgrades in the 7th Generation FORPHEUS—in both its hardware and its intangible elements—in a vision of connecting people and bringing out the potential of teams. Through the 7th Generation FORPHEUS, we hope to share a vision of “harmony between humans and machines” that connects people and resonates with you.

Boosting Team Performance with a Machine that Connects People: Young Engineers’ Efforts toward Realizing “Harmony between Humans and Machines”
Page
Top