Design and Evaluation of a Tangible-Mediated Robot for Kindergarten Instruction

© ACM 2015. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive Version of Record was published in ACE '15 Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2832932.2832952Entertainment technology increases children’s engagement in educational activities designed to develop abilities ranging from collaborative problem-solving and cognitive attention to self-esteem. However, little research has been done on designing educational and entertaining interactive technology for kindergarten children (up to 5 years old). Furthermore, most of the work in this area has considered traditional input devices such as the mouse and keyboard, which are not suitable for these very young children. More recently, other more intuitive means of interaction (touch and tangible interfaces) and advanced educational artifacts such as robots have emerged. In this work we therefore present a joint collaboration between technologists and kindergarten instructors to design and evaluate a technological platform using a mobile robot for kindergarten instruction, as well as an intuitive and user-friendly tangible user interface. The results obtained suggest the platform is not only usable by kindergarten children, but it also allows them to be fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In addition, the instructors reported that the system was well accepted and praised its versatility in use as a supporting tool for their everyday classroom activities.This work is funded by the European Development Regional Fund (EDRF-FEDER) and supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness with Project TIN2014-60077-R, and from Universitat Politècnica de València under Project UPV-FE-2014-24. It is also supported by fellowship ACIF/2014/214within the VALi+d program from Conselleria d’Educació, Cultura i Esport (Generalitat Valenciana), and by fellowship FPU14/00136 within the FPU program from Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.García Sanjuan, F.; Jaén Martínez, FJ.; Nácher-Soler, VE.; Catalá Bolós, A. (2015). Design and Evaluation of a Tangible-Mediated Robot for Kindergarten Instruction. ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2832932.2832952SDiana Africano, Sara Berg, Kent Lindbergh, Peter Lundholm, Fredrik Nilbrink, and Anna Persson. 2004. Designing Tangible Interfaces for Children's Collaboration.CHI '04 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM, 853--868. http://doi.org/10.1145/985921.985945Alissa N. Antle. 2013. 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Knowledge Domains Where Robots are Trusted

The general public is being exposed to robots more often every day. This thesis focused on the advancement of research by analyzing whether or not the type of information provided by a robot determined the level of trust humans have for a robot. A study was conducted where the participants were asked to answer two different types of questions: mathematical/logical and ethical/social. The participants were divided into two different conditions: controlled and misinformed. A humanoid robot provided its own spoken answer after the participants said their answers. The participants then had the chance to select whose answers they would like to keep. During the misinformed condition, there were times when the robot purposely gave incorrect answers. The results of the study support the hypothesis that the participants were more likely to select the robot’s answers when the question type was mathematical/logical, whether the robot provided a correct or incorrect response

Knowledge Domains Where Robots are Trusted

The general public is being exposed to robots more often every day. This thesis focused on the advancement of research by analyzing whether or not the type of information provided by a robot determined the level of trust humans have for a robot. A study was conducted where the participants were asked to answer two different types of questions: mathematical/logical and ethical/social. The participants were divided into two different conditions: controlled and misinformed. A humanoid robot provided its own spoken answer after the participants said their answers. The participants then had the chance to select whose answers they would like to keep. During the misinformed condition, there were times when the robot purposely gave incorrect answers. The results of the study support the hypothesis that the participants were more likely to select the robot’s answers when the question type was mathematical/logical, whether the robot provided a correct or incorrect response

Supporting active and healthy aging with advanced robotics integrated in smart environment

The technological advances in the robotic and ICT fields represent an effective solution to address specific societal problems to support ageing and independent life. One of the key factors for these technologies is the integration of service robotics for optimising social services and improving quality of life of the elderly population. This chapter aims to underline the barriers of the state of the art, furthermore the authors present their concrete experiences to overcome these barriers gained at the RoboTown Living Lab of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna within past and current projects. They analyse and discuss the results in order to give recommendations based on their experiences. Furthermore, this work highlights the trend of development from stand-alone solutions to cloud computing architecture, describing the future research directions

자동차 사양 변경을 실시간 반영하는 데이터 기반 디자인 접근 방법

학위논문 (박사) -- 서울대학교 대학원 : 융합과학기술대학원 융합과학부(지능형융합시스템전공), 2020. 8. 곽노준.The automotive industry is entering a new phase in response to changes in the external environment through the expansion of eco-friendly electric/hydrogen vehicles and the simplification of modules during the manufacturing process. However, in the existing automotive industry, conflicts between structured production guidelines and various stake-holders, who are aligned with periodic production plans, can be problematic. For example, if there is a sudden need to change either production parts or situation-specific designs, it is often difficult for designers to reflect those requirements within the preexisting guidelines. Automotive design includes comprehensive processes that represent the philosophy and ideology of a vehicle, and seeks to derive maximum value from the vehicle specifications. In this study, a system that displays information on parts/module components necessary for real-time design was proposed. Designers will be able to use this system in automotive design processes, based on data from various sources. By applying the system, three channels of information provision were established. These channels will aid in the replacement of specific component parts if an unexpected external problem occurs during the design process, and will help in understanding and using the components in advance. The first approach is to visualize real-time data aggregation in automobile factories using Google Analytics, and to reflect these in self-growing characters to be provided to designers. Through this, it is possible to check production and quality status data in real time without the use of complicated labor resources such as command centers. The second approach is to configure the data flow to be able to recognize and analyze the surrounding situation. This is done by applying the vehicles camera to the CCTV in the inventory and distribution center, as well as the direction inside the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to identify and record the parts resources and real-time delivery status from the internal camera function without hesitation from existing stakeholders. The final approach is to supply real-time databases of vehicle parts at the site of an accident for on-site repair, using a public API and sensor-based IoT. This allows the designer to obtain information on the behavior of parts to be replaced after accidents involving light contact, so that it can be reflected in the design of the vehicle. The advantage of using these three information channels is that designers can accurately understand and reflect the modules and components that are brought in during the automotive design process. In order to easily compose the interface for the purpose of providing information, the information coming from the three channels is displayed in their respective, case-specific color in the CAD software that designers use in the automobile development process. Its eye tracking usability evaluation makes it easy for business designers to use as well. The improved evaluation process including usability test is also included in this study. The impact of the research is both dashboard application and CAD system as well as data systems from case studies are currently reflected to the design ecosystem of the motors group.자동차 산업은 친환경 전기/수소 자동차의 확대와 제조 공정에서의 모듈 단순화를 통해서 외부 환경의 변화에 따른 새로운 국면을 맞이하고 있다. 하지만 기존의 자동차 산업에서 구조화된 생산 가이드라인과 기간 단위 생산 계획에 맞춰진 여러 이해관계자들과의 갈등은 변화에 대응하는 방안이 관성과 부딪히는 문제로 나타날 수 있다. 예를 들어, 갑작스럽게 생산에 필요한 부품을 변경해야 하거나 특정 상황에 적용되는 디자인을 변경할 경우, 주어진 가이드라인에 따라 디자이너가 직접 의견을 반영하기 어려운 경우가 많다. 자동차 디자인은 차종의 철학과 이념을 나타내고 해당 차량제원으로 최대의 가치를 끌어내고자 하는 종합적인 과정이다. 본 연구에서는 여러 원천의 데이터를 기반으로 자동차 디자인 과정에서 활용할 수 있도록 디자인에 필요한 부품/모듈 구성요소들에 대한 정보를 실시간으로 표시해주는 시스템을 고안하였다. 이를 적용하여 자동차 디자인 과정에서 예상 못한 외부 문제가 발생했을 때 선택할 구성 부품을 대체하거나 사전에 해당 부품을 이해하고 디자인에 활용할 수 있도록 세 가지 정보 제공 채널을 구성하였다. 첫 번째는 자동차 공장 내 실시간 데이터 집계를 Google Analytics를 활용하여 시각화하고, 이를 공장 자체의 자가 성장 캐릭터에 반영하여 디자이너에게 제공하는 방식이다. 이를 통해 종합상황실 등의 복잡한 인력 체계 없이도 생산 및 품질 현황 데이터를 실시간으로 확인 가능하도록 하였다. 두 번째는 차량용 주차보조 센서 카메라를 차량 부착 뿐만 아니라 인벤토리와 물류센터의 CCTV에도 적용하여 주변상황을 인식하고 분석할 수 있도록 구성하였다. 차량의 조립 생산 단계에서 부품 단위의 이동, 운송, 출하를 거쳐 완성차의 주행 단계에 이르기까지 데이터 흐름을 파악하는 것이 디자인 부문에 필요한 정보를 제공할 수 있는 방법으로 활용되었다. 이를 통해 기존 이해관계자들의 큰 반발 없이 내부의 카메라 기능으로부터 부품 리소스와 운송 상태를 실시간 파악 및 기록 가능하도록 하였다. 마지막으로 공공 API와 센서 기반의 사물인터넷을 활용해서 도로 위 차량 사고가 발생한 위치에서의 현장 수리를 위한 차량 부품 즉시 수급 및 데이터베이스화 방법도 개발 되었다. 이는 디자이너로 하여금 가벼운 접촉 사고에서의 부품 교체 행태에 대한 정보를 얻게 하여 차량의 디자인에 반영 가능하도록 하였다. 시나리오를 바탕으로 이 세 가지 정보 제공 채널을 활용할 경우, 자동차 디자인 과정에서 불러들여오는 부품 및 모듈의 구성 요소들을 디자이너가 정확히 알고 반영할 수 있다는 장점이 부각되었다. 정보 제공의 인터페이스를 쉽게 구성하기 위해서, 실제로 디자이너들이 자동차 개발 과정에서 디자인 프로세스 상에서 활용하는 CAD software에 세 가지 채널들로부터 들어오는 정보를 사례별 컬러로 표시하고, 이를 시선추적 사용성 평가를 통해 현업 디자이너들이 사용하기 쉽게 개선한 과정도 본 연구에 포함시켜 설명하였다.1 Introduction 1 1.1 Research Background 1 1.2 Objective and Scope 2 1.3 Environmental Changes 3 1.4 Research Method 3 1.4.1 Causal Inference with Graphical Model 3 1.4.2 Design Thinking Methodology with Co-Evolution 4 1.4.3 Required Resources 4 1.5 Research Flow 4 2 Data-driven Design 7 2.1 Big Data and Data Management 6 2.1.1 Artificial Intelligence and Data Economy 6 2.1.2 API (Application Programming Interface) 7 2.1.3 AI driven Data Management for Designer 7 2.2 Datatype from Automotive Industry 8 2.2.1 Data-driven Management in Automotive Industry 8 2.2.2 Automotive Parts Case Studies 8 2.2.3 Parameter for Generative Design 9 2.3 Examples of Data-driven Design 9 2.3.1 Responsive-reactive 9 2.3.2 Dynamic Document Design 9 2.3.3 Insignts from Data-driven Design 10 3 Benchmark of Data-driven Automotive Design 12 3.1 Method of Global Benchmarking 11 3.2 Automotive Design 11 3.2.1 HMI Design and UI/UX 11 3.2.2 Hardware Design 12 3.2.3 Software Design 12 3.2.4 Convergence Design Process Model 13 3.3 Component Design Management 14 4 Vehicle Specification Design in Mobility Industry 16 4.1 Definition of Vehicle Specification 16 4.2 Field Study 17 4.3 Hypothesis 18 5 Three Preliminary Practical Case Studies for Vehicle Specification to Datadriven 21 5.1 Production Level 31 5.1.1 Background and Input 31 5.1.2 Data Process from Inventory to Designer 41 5.1.3 Output to Designer 51 5.2 Delivery Level 61 5.2.1 Background and Input 61 5.2.2 Data Process from Inventory to Designer 71 5.2.3 Output to Designer 81 5.3 Consumer Level 91 5.3.1 Background and Input 91 5.3.2 Data Process from Inventory to Designer 101 5.3.3 Output to Designer 111 6 Two Applications for Vehicle Designer 86 6.1 Real-time Dashboard DB for Decision Making 123 6.1.1 Searchable Infographic as a Designer's Tool 123 6.1.2 Scope and Method 123 6.1.3 Implementation 123 6.1.4 Result 124 6.1.5 Evaluation 124 6.1.6 Summary 124 6.2 Application to CAD for vehicle designer 124 6.2.1 CAD as a Designer's Tool 124 6.2.2 Scope and Method 125 6.2.3 Implementation and the Display of the CAD Software 125 6.2.4 Result 125 6.2.5 Evaluation: Usability Test with Eyetracking 126 6.2.6 Summary 128 7 Conclusion 96 7.1 Summary of Case Studies and Application Release 129 7.2 Impact of the Research 130 7.3 Further Study 131Docto

子どもの心的状態と性格を考慮した遊び相手ロボットの設計原理

核家族化，少子化，地域のつながりの希薄化などを背景に，乳幼児を持つ母親の育児負担が増大している．多くの子育て世帯は核家族のため祖父母からの日常的な支援を受けられず，保育施設などの社会的育児支援も，昼間だけ，週1 日だけなどと限定的にしか受けられないため，多くの家庭内では，母親が一人で育児と家事を同時にこなさなければならない状況にある．現在，家事の間の子守りの代替となっているのはテレビやDVDである．長時間のテレビ視聴は子どもの発達への悪影響が指摘されているが，気軽に利用できる手立てが他になく，母親は家事と育児を両立させるためにテレビに頼らざるを得ない．このように，家庭内での育児支援の欠如と，それにともなう子どもの発達の問題が存在しているが，それを解決する有効な育児支援策は未だ存在しない．そこでこの問題を解決する一助として，本研究では，家庭内で子どもの相手をする遊び相手ロボットを提案する．30 分ほどの間ロボットが子どもの興味を引きつけ遊んでいてくれるなら，母親の家事の時間を確保でき，育児ストレスの軽減が期待できる．本研究の最終的なゴールは，未就学児をもつ核家族の育児支援を目的とした，家庭内で子どもと遊ぶロボットの実現であり，本論文ではこの遊び相手ロボット実現のための方法論について議論する．遊び相手ロボットに対する基本的な要求は，子どもの発達を促す遊びができることである．遊びは子どもの発達の鍵であり，おもちゃや身体を使った幅広い遊びを行なうことで心身の発達が促される．長時間視聴されているテレビに代わり，子どもの身体的な活動を誘発させるために，おもちゃや身体を使った標準的な遊びを幅広く行えるロボットのデザインを行う必要がある．そしてさらに遊び相手ロボットに重要なのは，発達を促す遊びができるだけでなく，そのような遊びを子どもと成立させられることである．遊びの成立に対する課題は，課題1"長く遊び続けられること" と課題2"どんな子どもとも遊べること" の二つある．一つ目の課題は，子どもと1 対1 で長時間かつ長期的に継続して遊べることである．従来の子どもを相手としたロボットは，教育や遊戯療法などを目的としており，遊びの継続は考えられていない．本研究では遊びの継続が次のように成り立つと考える．長時間の遊びは，ロボットが様々な遊びや働きかけで子どもの興味を引きつけることで成立し，長期的な遊びは，子どもの気持ちを考慮した適切な振る舞いをロボットが行い，それを受けた子どもがロボットに好意的な関心をもつことで成立する．本研究では，この子どもの興味に関する問題を"興味度" の軸，好意的な関心を"友好感" の軸と定義する．遊びの継続には，子どもの興味度と友好感を維持する人間類似の行動決定モデルが必要であると考え，本研究では，子どもの心的状態を推定しながら行動を決定する仕組みを構築する．二つ目の課題は，ロボットがどんな子どもとも柔軟に遊べることである．従来の対人ロボットは，対話が容易な相手とのコミュニケーションのみ検討してきているが，育児支援を目的とした本ロボットは，保育者がどんな子どもとも遊びを成立させるように，誰とでも柔軟に遊べることが望ましい．そこで本研究では従来焦点が当てられてこなかった関係構築がより困難な相手に着目し，子どもの性格に応じた行動選択の仕組みが必要であると提案する．本論文ではその仕組みを実現する第一歩として，初対面の人との関係構築が困難な人見知り性格に焦点を当て，人見知りの子どもと良好な関係を築くための有効な行動を探る．以上のように本論文では，子どもの心的状態と性格を考慮した行動決定によって友好感を創出し，どんな子どもとも長く遊べる遊び相手ロボットを実現するための設計原理を，実際の遊び相手ロボットの開発と検証を経た構成論的手法により明らかにする．本論文では，第1 章にて研究背景である現代の育児問題を概説し，対子どもロボットの関連研究と比較しながら本研究の位置づけと目的を述べる．第2 章では，提案する遊び相手ロボットに求められる要求仕様と子どもとの遊びを成立させる因子について議論し，実現に向けた課題を明確にする．第3 章では，子どもの発達を促すことを踏まえた遊び相手ロボットの構想について述べる．第4 章では課題1"長く遊び続けられること" について論じ，その解決手法としてのロボットの行動決定モデルを提案し，モデルの有効性を検証する．第5 章では課題2"どんな子どもとも遊べること" について論じ，その解決手法として性格を考慮した仕組みを提案し，その有効性を検証する．第6 章では，これまでの研究結果を踏まえ，現時点で実社会に役立つ実用的な遊び相手ロボットを示す．最後に第7 章で本論文の内容をまとめる．電気通信大学201

Studies on user control in ambient intelligent systems

People have a deeply rooted need to experience control and be effective in interactions with their environments. At present times, we are surrounded by intelligent systems that take decisions and perform actions for us. This should make life easier, but there is a risk that users experience less control and reject the system. The central question in this thesis is whether we can design intelligent systems that have a degree of autonomy, while users maintain a sense of control. We try to achieve this by giving the intelligent system an 'expressive interface’: the part that provides information to the user about the internal state, intentions and actions of the system. We examine this question both in the home and the work environment.We find the notion of a ‘system personality’ useful as a guiding principle for designing interactions with intelligent systems, for domestic robots as well as in building automation. Although the desired system personality varies per application, in both domains a recognizable system personality can be designed through expressive interfaces using motion, light, sound, and social cues. The various studies show that the level of automation and the expressive interface can influence the perceived system personality, the perceived level of control, and user’s satisfaction with the system. This thesis shows the potential of the expressive interface as an instrument to help users understand what is going on inside the system and to experience control, which might be essential for the successful adoption of the intelligent systems of the future.<br/

Robotics 2010

Without a doubt, robotics has made an incredible progress over the last decades. The vision of developing, designing and creating technical systems that help humans to achieve hard and complex tasks, has intelligently led to an incredible variety of solutions. There are barely technical fields that could exhibit more interdisciplinary interconnections like robotics. This fact is generated by highly complex challenges imposed by robotic systems, especially the requirement on intelligent and autonomous operation. This book tries to give an insight into the evolutionary process that takes place in robotics. It provides articles covering a wide range of this exciting area. The progress of technical challenges and concepts may illuminate the relationship between developments that seem to be completely different at first sight. The robotics remains an exciting scientific and engineering field. The community looks optimistically ahead and also looks forward for the future challenges and new development

Design e Ergonomia per la Human-Robot Interaction

This book investigates the relationship between design (specifically, the Human-Centred Design, Interaction Design and User Experience approaches) and the complex area of Human-Robot Interaction (specifically, social robotics for care). The research begins by framing the scientific problem of demographic aging and the increasing diffusion of wearable and robotic technologies for assisting and supporting the well-being and independence of the elderly and frail. Then, the research examines the role, contributions, and challenges of design in relation to the issue of acceptability in robotics, both from a theoretical-epistemological as well as from a practical-applicative viewpoint. The book, therefore, investigates methods and tools for implementing cross-disciplinary collaboration and for designing acceptability and interaction with new technologies in order to improve the quality of life and psychophysical health of human beings. The overall goal of the of the research presented in this volume is to bridge the gap between the two scientific areas of design and robotics, and let them converge in order to design assistive and social robots that can be effectively accepted as well as appropriate for people's specific needs. This is made possible through the development of a connection between the methodological approaches and tools of both disciplines in order to structure a framework for: cross-disciplinary collaboration and management of development processes in robotics research projects and design; and the application of the iterative process peculiar of HCD to robotics. On this basis, the research output was developed, namely the operational tool “Robotics & Design: the tool to design Human-Centered Assistive Robotics” which can be found at the link: www.roboticsdesign.org