Development of Caricature Robots for Interaction with Older Adults

This paper proposes a concept of combining the techniques of classic animation and robotic design to create a simple robot capable of interacting with older adults, denominated “caricature robots”. A caricature robot can be described as “a non-humanoid robot that can show simplified humanoid motions in exaggerated ways”. To achieve that illusion, three key elements should be met in a caricature robot: functionality, simplicity in motion and personality. While interaction for every older adult can be different, users are allowed to personalize their caricature robot by creating their own set of motions and personas that suits their personal taste. This is made possible through the “Body Cerebellar and Brain” control structure and the MotionClips software developed in this research. MusicMouth is used to exemplify caricature robots. Through the advantage of customization and personalization, caricature robots present a range of scenarios.