Soft robots as minimal stimuli companions.

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Challenge:Many people in our society find themselves in situations of social isolation. This is a trend which is projected to continue to increase due to working from home culture and the ageing population. Accordingly, there is concern as the health consequences associated with isolation and loneliness can be costly to the individual and society. High levels of subjective loneliness are associated with greater likelihood to anthropomorphise objects (Shin & Kim, 2020). So, robotic provision of companionship is a high potential solution. Currently, many robots are available in humanoid or pet like form. However, this does not need to be the case. People respond in specific ways to more stripped back stimuli. The Bouba/Kiki effect demonstrates naming associations with particular shapes which are robustly independent of cultural and linguistic background (Peiffer-Smadj & Cohen, 2019). By moving away from the material limitations of hard structures, and form limitations of androids, there is potential to create robotic devices with greater appeal than current models through consideration of tactile factors and shape changing possibilities. Aim:This project aims to identify minimal characteristics which elicit positive emotional affect associated with companionship. Once identified, novel soft robotic solutions will be developed with a view to deliver a viable companion robot product.Method:There are key physical components which could be manipulated for emotional communication. Possibilities within soft robotics are the broad categories of skin, shape, locomotion, colour and temperature. In this project these will be explored through iterative cycles of prototype development and stakeholder feedback.Timeline:Months 1-6. The initial period will be allocated to a thorough literature review. Particular focus will be given to identifying novelty in the companion robotics market and understanding optimal (affordable and innovative) processes in soft robotic manufacture.Months 7-9. This period will be reserved for extensive research into what people want from a companion robot. It is the initial stage of the co-design methodology and will be conducted through a range of research techniques such as interviews, focus groups and workshops.Months 10-15. Six months will be dedicated here to development of a range of low fidelity protypes. These will explore the viabilty of physical realisation of features imagined within co-design workshops. They will also provide physical objects to show people and achieve greater design feedback. Months 16-18. Feedback will be gathered here on the initial prototype range. Special attention will be paid to emotive qualities of the products.Months 19-22. This period will be used to develop a develop a single high fidelity protype based on features selected from previous investigations. This will be developed with attention paid to minimal cost and fidelity to co-design requests.Months 23-24. This prototype will be returned to the people and feedback gathered to inform final product design.Months 25-36. The final phase will be focussed on design and creation of this product. This will be preferably in conjunction with the technology incubator with a view to deliver the robot to the people.ReferencesPeiffer-Smadja, N. and Cohen, L. The cerebral bases of the bouba-kiki effect. NeuroImage 186, 679-689 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.11.033.Shin, H.I., Kim, J. My computer is more thoughtful than you: Loneliness, anthropomorphism and dehumanization. Curr Psychol 39, 445-453 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9975-7