research-article

Sketching CuddleBits: Coupled Prototyping of Body and Behaviour for an Affective Robot Pet

Authors:

Anasazi Valair,

Oliver S. Schneider,

Karon E. MacLeanAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Pages 3681 - 3692

https://doi.org/10.1145/3025453.3025774

Published: 02 May 2017 Publication History

Abstract

Social robots that physically display emotion invite natural communication with their human interlocutors, enabling applications like robot-assisted therapy where a complex robot's breathing influences human emotional and physiological state. Using DIY fabrication and assembly, we explore how simple 1-DOF robots can express affect with economy and user customizability, leveraging open-source designs.

We developed low-cost techniques for coupled iteration of a simple robot's body and behaviour, and evaluated its potential to display emotion. Through two user studies, we (1) validated these CuddleBits' ability to express emotions (N=20); (2) sourced a corpus of 72 robot emotion behaviours from participants (N=10); and (3) analyzed it to link underlying parameters to emotional perception (N=14).

We found that CuddleBits can express arousal (activation), and to a lesser degree valence (pleasantness). We also show how a sketch-refine paradigm combined with DIY fabrication and novel input methods enable parametric design of physical emotion display, and discuss how mastering this parsimonious case can give insight into layering simple behaviours in more complex robots.

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Cited By

Zhou NDevleminck SGeurts L(2024)Tangible Affect: A Literature Review of Tangible Interactive Systems Addressing Human Core Affect, Emotions and MoodsProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3643834.3661608(424-440)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3661608
Hu YLu JScinto-Madonich NPineros MLopes PHoffman G(2024)Designing Plant-Driven Actuators for Robots to Grow, Age, and DecayProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3643834.3661519(2481-2496)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3661519
Liu SGu JPatel DYao LCiolfi LHogan TDöring TJenkins Tvan Dijk JHuron SLi ZCoyle DSigner B(2024)breatHaptics: Enabling Granular Rendering of Breath Signals via Haptics using Shape-Changing Soft InterfacesProceedings of the Eighteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction10.1145/3623509.3633372(1-11)Online publication date: 11-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3623509.3633372
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Index Terms

Sketching CuddleBits: Coupled Prototyping of Body and Behaviour for an Affective Robot Pet
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

May 2017

7138 pages

ISBN:9781450346559

DOI:10.1145/3025453

General Chairs:
Gloria Mark
University of California Irvine
,
Susan Fussell
Cornell University
,
Program Chairs:
Cliff Lampe
University of Michigan
,
m.c. schraefel
University of Southampton
,
Juan Pablo Hourcade
University of Iowa
,
Caroline Appert
Université Paris-Sud
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Daniel Wigdor
University of Toronto

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Published: 02 May 2017

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CHI '17: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

May 6 - 11, 2017

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CHI '17 Paper Acceptance Rate 600 of 2,400 submissions, 25%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 6,199 of 26,314 submissions, 24%

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Cited By

Zhou NDevleminck SGeurts L(2024)Tangible Affect: A Literature Review of Tangible Interactive Systems Addressing Human Core Affect, Emotions and MoodsProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3643834.3661608(424-440)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3661608
Hu YLu JScinto-Madonich NPineros MLopes PHoffman G(2024)Designing Plant-Driven Actuators for Robots to Grow, Age, and DecayProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3643834.3661519(2481-2496)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3661519
Liu SGu JPatel DYao LCiolfi LHogan TDöring TJenkins Tvan Dijk JHuron SLi ZCoyle DSigner B(2024)breatHaptics: Enabling Granular Rendering of Breath Signals via Haptics using Shape-Changing Soft InterfacesProceedings of the Eighteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction10.1145/3623509.3633372(1-11)Online publication date: 11-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3623509.3633372
Valori IFan YJung MFairhurst M(2024)Propensity to trust shapes perceptions of comforting touch between trustworthy human and robot partnersScientific Reports10.1038/s41598-024-57582-114:1Online publication date: 21-Mar-2024
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57582-1
Valori IJung MFairhurst M(2024)Social touch to build trustComputers in Human Behavior10.1016/j.chb.2023.108121153:COnline publication date: 12-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2023.108121
Ihamäki PHeljakka K(2024)Robot Pets as “Serious Toys”- Activating Social and Emotional Experiences of Elderly PeopleInformation Systems Frontiers10.1007/s10796-021-10175-z26:1(25-39)Online publication date: 1-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10796-021-10175-z
Watanabe YCang XGuerra RMclaren DVyas PRekimoto JMaclean K(2023)Demonstrating Virtual Teamwork with Synchrobots: A Robot-Mediated Approach to Improving ConnectednessExtended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544549.3583896(1-4)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544549.3583896
Vyas PDesai UYamakawa KMaclean K(2023)A Descriptive Analysis of a Formative Decade of Research in Affective Haptic System DesignProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3580735(1-23)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3580735
Ma HYarosh S(2023)A Review of Affective Computing Research Based on Function-Component-Representation FrameworkIEEE Transactions on Affective Computing10.1109/TAFFC.2021.310451214:2(1655-1674)Online publication date: 1-Apr-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2021.3104512
Cang XBucci PRantala JMacLean K(2023)Discerning Affect From Touch and Gaze During Interaction With a Robot PetIEEE Transactions on Affective Computing10.1109/TAFFC.2021.309489414:2(1598-1612)Online publication date: 1-Apr-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2021.3094894
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