A Large-scale Three-Dimensional (3D) Printer and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machine for Implementing Deformable Zoomorphic Robots

人-机器人交互(Human-Robot Interaction，HRI)是理解、设计和评估供人类使用或与人类一起使用的社交机器人的一个研究领域。社交机器人由物理机器人硬件组件组成，作为云服务支持的网络物理计算系统与通过网络基础设施连接的人类进行交互。诡异谷理论描述了主宰HRI的不完美人类肖像的令人不安的影响。提到诡异谷，社交机器人通常构成了拟人化或动物化的一种形式。例如，社交机器人的行为通常与人类或动物相似，例如模仿人类/动物的行为和情感表达，具有语音、手势、动作和眼睛凝视特征。此前的研究发现，与非实体的互动信息亭相比，具有情感表达的人形机器人在发布个人信息方面更容易获得用户的信任。申请者申请资助一台大型三维(3D)打印机和一台计算机数控(NC)机器，通过分层方法创建可变形的3D动物形体部位。*同时使用CNC机和3D打印机将显著提高高素质人才(HQP)的培训。此外，该设备将有助于将他们基于模拟软件构建的动物性身体部位的设计转变为复杂材料原型，无论是3D打印机中的聚乳酸(PLA)还是在CNC上使用的任何材料，如木材或金属。在新冠肺炎大流行期间，申请人的研究团队设计并建造了一个带有机械尾巴的可变形四足平台原型，利用石膏板、机械部件、计算机硬件和软件来表达情感。根据诡异谷理论，我们计划在四足平台的基础上建造一系列中到大型可变形的动物性身体部位，如小马驹和狗。我们将重点关注HRI的情感表达和人的参与。情绪是人类认知和行为的重要组成部分，由可识别的来源引起，如事件或看到其他人的情绪。情绪对于促进或威胁人们所遇到的不同情况的生存是必要的。我们将开发用于行为反应的动物性身体部位，帮助决策，促进人类参与。研究人员参考了滑铁卢大学2020年的一份名为《大流行让人们对社交机器人更加开放》的研究报告，发现在大流行后，加拿大人会购买一款能够表现出情感陪伴的机器人。报告还显示，社交机器人可以减少疫情期间的严重孤立效应。现在是加拿大研究人员研究不同的在HRI中具有情感表达的动物型机器人的时候了。

Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is a research area of understanding, designing, and evaluating social robots for use by or with humans, respectively. A social robot consists of a physical robot hardware component to interact with humans connected through a network infrastructure as a cyber-physical computing system supported with Cloud services. The Uncanny Valley theory describes the disturbing effect of imperfect human likenesses that have dominated HRI. Referring to the Uncanny Valley, social robots usually constitute a form of anthropomorphism or zoomorphism. For example, social robots typically behave like humans or animals, such as mimicry of human/animal behavior and emotional expression, with speech, gestures, movements, and eye-gaze features. Prior research found that it is much easier for an embodied humanoid robot with emotional expression to gain users' trust to release personal information than a disembodied interactive kiosk. The applicant requests funds for a large-scale Three-dimensional (3D) printer and a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine to create 3D deformable zoomorphic body parts through a layering method. Using both a CNC machine and a 3D printer will significantly improve the training of High-Quality Personnel (HQP). In addition, the equipment will help to transform their designs of zoomorphic body parts built on simulation software to complex material prototypes, whether it is Polylactic Acid (PLA) in the 3D printer or any material used on the CNC such as wood or metals. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the applicant's research team had designed and built a prototype deformable four-legged platform with a mechanical tail to express emotions using plasterboards, mechanical parts, computer hardware, and software. According to the Uncanny Valley theory, we plan to build a series of medium-to-large scale deformable zoomorphic body parts based on the four-legged platform, such as a foal and a dog. We will focus on emotional expression and human engagement for HRI. Emotions are an essential component of human cognition and behavior caused by an identifiable source, such as an event or seeing emotions in other people. Emotions are necessary to either promote or threaten the survival of different situations that people encounter. We will develop the zoomorphic body parts for behavioral responses, help in decision-making, and facilitate human engagement. Referring to a study report called "Pandemic makes people more open to social robots" by the University of Waterloo in 2020, the researchers found that Canadians would purchase a robot with the ability to show emotion for companionship after the pandemic. The report also showed that social robots could reduce severe isolation effects during the pandemic. It is a time for Canadian researchers to work on different zoomorphic robots with emotional expressions in HRI.