The creation of DarumaTO: a social companion robot for Buddhist/Shinto elderlies

A growing need of socially assistive devices is now present in several countries affected by ageing societies. Robotics offers a solution to this problem, however the introduction of such devices is proving to be challenging because of users’ acceptance. The cultural factor, blended with the background religion, may be critical in obtaining a positive impression. In order to achieve this goal, we introduce the use of skeuomorphism into robotics and present one first application: the development of DarumaTO social robot. DarumaTO is inspired to the traditional Buddhist and Shinto doll called Daruma, and it has has 2 degrees of freedom. It can communicate through visual tracking, voice and facial expression. The design results into a device that has a familiar appearance to a Buddhist or Shinto elderly person.