Dumb Robots, Smart Phones: a Case Study of Music Listening Companionship
Proceedings of the 21st International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication
Abstract
Combining high-performance, sensor-rich mobile devices with simple, low-cost robotic platforms could accelerate the adoption of personal robotics in real-world environments. We present a case study of this “dumb robot, smart phone” paradigm: a robotic speaker dock and music listening companion. The robot is designed to enhance a human’s listening experience by providing social presence and embodied musical performance. In its initial application, it generates segment-specific, beat-synchronized gestures based on the song’s genre, and maintains eye-contact with the user. All of the robot’s computation, sensing, and high-level motion control is performed on a smartphone, with the rest of the robot’s parts handling mechanics and actuator bridging.