Page 22 - Designing Sociable Robots

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The Vision of Sociable Robots 3

Figure 1.2
Some examples of robots entering the toy and entertainment markets. To the left is iRobot’s Bit, a prototype robotic
doll that can display a number of facial expressions. To the right is Tiger Electronic’s Furby.

Figure 1.3
Some examples of research exploring robots that cooperate with and assist humans. On the left is Sweet Lips, a
museum tour guide robot. The right shows NEC’s domestic robot prototype.

instance, Hasboro’s My Real Baby changes facial expressions according to its “mood,”
which is influenced by how it is played with. Although the ability of these products to
interact with people is limited, they are motivating the development of increasingly life-like
and socially sophisticated robots. Someday, these toys might be sophisticated enough to
appreciate and foster the social needs and cognitive development of a child.
Companies and universities are exploring new applications areas for robots that assist
people in a number of ways (see figure 1.3). For instance, robotic tour guides have appeared