Alexander Reben

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“This Is Such A Charming Concept!”

June 2, 2013 in Excerpts, Science/Tech, Urban Studies, Videos | Permalink

Graphic User Interface and sleek product design turned cold computers into must-have accessories, and MIT roboticist and artist Alexander Reben realizes that aesthetics can do the same for ‘bots. And that’s true for better or worse: That thing that is taking my job and trying to murder me is as cute as a kitten–and it talks!

The creator of Boxie the Cute Robot describes his work thusly: “These robots use their cuteness to get people to answer questions that are then made into a documentary filmed by the robot’s internal camera.” Reben just started doing an Ask Me Anything on Reddit. A few exchanges and a video follow.

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Question:

This is such a charming concept! Do you feel that this kind of exterior design is key in human-robot relations, rather than trying to make robots that look just like us? Some inventors feel that we identify with things the more they are like us, yet you have been able to get people to confess their deepest secrets to a cardboard box with eyes and a smile. What would you say to those who believe the only way to produce human-robot relations is through something like this?

Alexander Reben:

Yes, the design of the exterior shell plays a huge part in the success of the project. Even designing the perfect “robot smile” was super important to make the robot appear non-judgmental. My design philosophy is that of an anamorphism of a living thing. These robots were designed to give the impression that they are a “baby robot”, not a person at all. While no such thing actually exists naturally, our brain interprets things such as a big head and wide set eyes as baby like. I think the robot you linked to is scary. I believe most applications for social robots will work best with robots who look like robots, cute robots included.

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Question:

What is the most interesting thing that came out of this project for you and the other people you worked on this with? Did you find any challenges with the Boxie/BlabDroid project that you didn’t expect when you started? What was the biggest challenge in making it a success?

Alexander Reben:

The most interesting thing is that everyone had a great experience with the robots. If you watch the videos you see some people get really deep with them, some even crying. However, nobody asked for the video to not be used (everyone knows the robots are filming them). It was almost the inverse, the more people told the robots, the better the interaction. Many described it as a “cathartic” experience.

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Question:

What are you planning to do with the little robots now? It seems like the pricing of the robots would be prohibitive to the average buyer, which might have been due to the quality of camera and connectivity of the robots. Are you looking at creating a version of these robots that are more expendable and cheaper for people to use?

Alexander Reben:

Right now, we plan to bring the robots around the world to meet new people and “learn more about the humans that inhabit earth.” They will be at the Doc/Fest festival in Sheffield England next week. We would love to get them other places like for a talk show segment or TV show.

Indeed, we are planning to bring the cost of the robots down to the price range of a premium Bluetooth accessory. Our plan is to allow the user to use their cellphone camera as the robot’s camera, thereby making them cheaper yet still getting high quality video. We also want to open source the protocols used to control the robot so people can hack them. We are still very optimistic because everyone who sees a BlabDroid in person wants one!

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“If there was no money and no law, what would be the first thing you would do?”

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