Application of the humanoid robot Pepper as a mobile interactive architectural element: : a study and a handbook for architectural designers and planners

Abstract

This thesis convincingly proves the potential of adopting a robot as an architectural element, exploiting some of the most common scenarios that can occur. By discussing challenges, obstacles and viable solutions it results in guidelines for architectural designers and planners who intend to use a humanoid robot Pepper in their designs. The work investigates and results in a design instigating and aiding the human – humanoid robot interaction in an office environment. The space utilization is implemented through specifically designed robot behaviors appropriate for the intended architecture function and representation. The developed design is based on a concept of space as an expression of interrelated actions among artifacts and humans. It is realized without physically changing the existing built space. Instead it utilizes a humanoid robot as a mobile interactive element of office architecture. As such the robot also takes over several common concierge tasks. Thus it allows for higher utilization of the designed space through designing the interaction in it, while ensuring that qualified staff can concentrate and devote its efforts to more creativity demanding tasks, which will result in an increase of overall productivity in short-term prospective. Additionally, several socio-psychological effects of long-lasting communication between people and robots in different type of working environment are addressed. Through the assigned position and tasks of an office concierge, the humanoid robot serves as a conduit between the architectural environment and its users. In our case the synergy is achieved through programming a humanoid robot Pepper, of Aldebaran/SoftBank. The newly developed software architecture targets designing different robot behaviors for routinely occurring scenarios in the office environment of the Department for Architecture Theory and Philosophy of Technics. The presented results are systematized, analyzed and communicated in the form of a handbook for architectural designers and planners. It gives a basic overview of several relevant issues of robot behavior design. The adopted approaches comply with the expertise, experience and expectations of the target user group. Additionally, other optional more complex solutions are pointed out. Despite being mentioned, these are beyond the scope of this work as they require advanced background in robotic and programming rather than in architecture and design.

This thesis convincingly proves the potential of adopting a robot as an architectural element, exploiting some of the most common scenarios that can occur. By discussing challenges, obstacles and viable solutions it results in guidelines for architectural designers and planners who intend to use a humanoid robot Pepper in their designs. The work investigates and results in a design instigating and aiding the human – humanoid robot interaction in an office environment. The space utilization is implemented through specifically designed robot behaviors appropriate for the intended architecture function and representation. The developed design is based on a concept of space as an expression of interrelated actions among artifacts and humans. It is realized without physically changing the existing built space. Instead it utilizes a humanoid robot as a mobile interactive element of office architecture. As such the robot also takes over several common concierge tasks.