Sociable Trash Box

When we observe our bodies from an external perspective, we see everything. We see that our bodies seem complete or self sufficient. However, when we look at our bodies from an internal perspective there are multiple things that we can’t see/ process. We can’t see our faces or our backs, which in turn allows us to understand that we aren’t really self-sufficient/complete. We use these ecological psychology perspectives to recruit those/things around us to help and build robots with relational capabilities (social robots who use their imperfections as strength).

From our research on proto communication, we have created robots such as

- the Sociable Trash Box: This robot can’t pick up trash on its own, but by cleverly drawing out help from children, the Sociable Trash picks up trash.

- i-Bones: A robot that nervously draws out the kindness and help from people to give out tissues.

- Talking Ally: Drawing out help from the listener, Talking Ally starts conversations and needs the help of the listener to keep the conversation going.

- Muu: Making conversation without words, Muu is a robot who makes conversation with multiple people.

Sociable Creature - Muu

Can’t communicate when trying to but communicating when not trying to. Our true research focuses on trying to draw out help from those around us by ways of subtraction design and conversation through minimal spontaneous sounds. We hope that these points of research will lead to new communication methods. Furthermore our lab looks to find a constructive approach to the aspect of human-human proto-communication.
Here are several of our research focuses:

- Pursuing the involvement of participants in order to communicate and use minimal cues to bring about communication.

- Developing robots based on isomorphism in relation to the environment and human-robot proto-communication.

- Research on body-body communication through the use of Pelat; the unsteady wandering robot who walks alongside you by holding your hand.

NAMIDA

By adding more capabilities and raising the functionality of systems, we become more passive and even arrogant at times towards the way we use robots or systems. Our lab in essence, is focused on creating and socially implementing an interactive design which excels in drawing out human kindness, schemes/strategy, and a new way to learn.

-Our research focuses on creating a design which focuses on a relational developmental
learning place as well as developing a type of care where if one takes care of something, said person will receive care in return.

- An example of this would be Talking-Bones, which is a robot who sometimes forgets the important words of a conversation and requires the help of the participant. As a result of helping Talking-Bones, the participant feels accomplished and happy to help the “imperfect” robot.

- Another focus point is to construct the symbiosis theory through NAMIDA, a level 3 robotic (conditional automation) autonomous driving system. These little agents create a cooperative environment with the driver in which, both NAMIDA and the driver draw out each others weakness, while building on those weakness to create a stronger bond.