As human-like emotions and behaviors continue to shape humanoid robotics, a team of researchers is taking a different approach, bringing expressive movements to non-humanoid robots. They are giving emotion-like gestures to these robots to bring in stronger connections with the users, making robotic interaction feel more natural and engaging.
Researchers working under the Apple Machine Learning Research division have made a lamp-like robot called ELEGANT. It comes with a 6 degrees of freedom (DOF) arm and a built-in projector that is built to interact with users through movements and light-based communication. They show human-like attentiveness by showing human gestures, such as shifting its posture to indicate focus, shaking its head in disappointment, or focusing objects with light to get attention. By integrating expressive robot movements, the study showed great improvement in user's attention in home and work environments.
The robot is equipped with an inbuilt laser projector, camera, and light, enabling it to interact with users through gestures and visual displays. Additionally, with the integration of a microphone, users can engage with the robot using both verbal commands and gestures. The robot is also designed to respond to touch through built-in sensors, enhancing its interactive capabilities for a more intuitive user experience.
These expressive robots made by integrating functional and expressive utilities showed more positive feedback from the users and made it feel more friendly. With further advancements, this research has the potential to customize the movements to individual preferences and align them with other interactions, including light and voice.
