These Robot Companions Are Lighter Than Air

[00:00:00]This soft flying robot companion is lighter than air and made to do things that most other robots struggle with.

[00:00:06]Inspired by floating friends like Tinkerbell, Studio Ghibli Soot Sprites, and Pokémon, a team of researchers have set out to explore what a floating robot might be good for, how humans might interact with them, and what advantages this type of robot might have over others. To start, soft floating robots are much quieter than drones with their spinning propellers, which means they're less stressful to sound sensitive pets and people like me. They also create less of a disturbance in the air, allowing for more safe and gentle interaction with their surroundings.

[00:00:36]Human robot interaction is actually one of the biggest challenges facing the robot industry right now. Most robots being made for industrial workplaces are quite heavy, as industrial machines often are, which can create risk of injury to their human co-workers.

[00:00:49]Companies are working hard to create safer human robot interaction. But for now, robots working autonomously are frequently separated from human beings by a physical barrier. And robots that interact with people are often remotec controlled for safety reasons. Floating robots offer a solution by making the robot body itself soft and light, which may create opportunities for safe interaction between man and machine, even if the floating robot is operating autonomously. One proof of concept researchers showed demonstrating this potential was the soft robot acting like a physical alarm clock, waking somebody up with a gentle boop. This brings me to another area where soft floating robots may have an advantage, creating an emotional connection. There are several companies currently developing robots that are meant to make an emotional connection with the human beings that they work with. They range from full-size standing humanoids with facial movements to robot puppies for Alzheimer's and dementia patients who may not be able to care for a dog of their own. Lots of effort goes into making expressive or cute-l lookinging faces, which can sometimes veer unintentionally into the infamous uncanny valley where something not quite humanlooking creates intense feelings of discomfort. Another alternative is simply putting chat bots or AI into the machines to give them a sense of aliveness. But if you've ever tried talking to a chatbot for an extended period of time, that doesn't always last. What's interesting to me about these soft floating robots is that it may prove to be a less is more situation. Human beings are wired to project human feelings onto nonhumans, including inanimate objects. Common phrases like, "My printer doesn't like me today," or "My phone is dead," reveal this tendency in us. But this nearly featureless floating white balloon with fins does seem to evoke the shape of a whale, which may be enough to create an emotional bond with the right movements.

[00:02:41]Speaking, walking, and facial expressions are all areas where our ability to discern human from non-human is very strong. Perhaps relying on a more alien movement like floating is a good workaround for robot developers seeking that emotional connection.

[00:02:55]Floating robots can also float upstairs without the engineering challenge of solving walking and balance issues. Now, we have seen some floating robots before. German company Festo has created numerous floating robot form factors inspired by animals, including the Air Penguin, Air Ray, and Air Jelly. This new research dives deeper into what these types of robots could unlock if we put them to use. Of course, a lighter than Air robot won't be much help with household chores, but it might be a decent reminder. dance partner or playmate of sorts. We actually did a video where a biophysicist reacts to some animal inspired robots and you can find that one right here. Let me know down in the comments what you think of floating robots and what you might use one for. And while you're there, subscribe for everything that makes you say, "What the future?