Interactive high-fidelity prototypes were presented during the course showcase where the project was received highly and was especially praised for the overall concept and storytelling
I spearheaded the design efforts, working with robotists from the University of Washington, UX researchers and designers on the team. Together, we imagined a new interaction pattern for the Kuri robot.
As the prototyper on the team, I also used a range of digital softwares to prototype and iterate on the interactions, from Figma for brainstorming, to Adobe After Effects for 2D animation, to Rhino 3D for 3D modeling, to Blender for 3D animation.
The Kuri Robot has garnered acclaim for its ability to entertain and engage users in moments of joy. However, a notable limitation lies in its current inability to empathize with users during periods of sadness. This gap in emotional responsiveness poses a challenge to creating a more holistic and meaningful human-robot interaction.
This solution centers around the introduction of Ro-moji expressions, leveraging a combination of facial expressions, head movements, and nuanced gestures to convey empathy during moments of sadness, thereby establishing a more nuanced and emotionally rich communication channel between the Kuri Robot and its users.
In the pursuit of enhancing the emotional capabilities of the Kuri Robot, a key focus was placed on the design of sad ro-mojis. Recognizing the importance of non-verbal communication, we specifically honed in on the integration of eye and head movements to convey a sense of sadness.
