SnuggleBot: A Novel Cuddly Companion Robot Design

Loneliness is an increasing problem in today's world, especially during the current pandemic when people are finding themselves increasingly isolated. Social robotics research has highlighted how robots can be designed to support people and improve their mood and general wellness. However, we do not yet see widespread social companion robots in homes. In this project, we took a constrained design approach to developing a novel cuddly companion robot, focusing on simple and deployable technologies, while aiming to support people's wellbeing by helping with loneliness. We had three design goals that are simultaneously feasible and align with supporting wellness: the robot should be physically comforting, socially engaging, and require people to care for it. We present a simple prototype cuddly companion robot that implements these goals using simple, off-the-shelf technologies.

[1]  Janice K Popp,et al.  Health Problems Associated with International Business Travel , 2000, AAOHN journal : official journal of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses.

[2]  Gerhard Sagerer,et al.  Understanding Social Robots , 2009, 2009 Second International Conferences on Advances in Computer-Human Interactions.

[3]  C. Chandler,et al.  Eight Domains of Pet-Owner Wellness: Valuing the Owner-Pet Relationship in the Counseling Process , 2015 .

[4]  Weighted Blanket Use: A Systematic Review. , 2020, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[5]  Idit Shalev,et al.  The substitutability of physical and social warmth in daily life. , 2012, Emotion.

[6]  Christina M. Brown,et al.  Friends with benefits: on the positive consequences of pet ownership. , 2011, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[7]  Candace L. Sidner,et al.  Explorations in engagement for humans and robots , 2005, Artif. Intell..

[8]  Katherine J. Kuchenbecker,et al.  Softness, Warmth, and Responsiveness Improve Robot Hugs , 2018, International Journal of Social Robotics.

[9]  T. Shibata,et al.  Robot therapy for elders affected by dementia , 2008, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine.

[10]  Jürgen Pripfl,et al.  Lessons learned from the deployment of a long-term autonomous robot as companion in physical therapy for older adults with dementia a mixed methods study , 2016, 2016 11th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI).

[11]  Amanda J. C. Sharkey,et al.  Interaction with the Paro robot may reduce psychophysiological stress responses , 2016, 2016 11th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI).

[12]  H. Harlow The Nature of Love , 1958 .

[13]  Philip Gorwood,et al.  The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and implications for clinical practice , 2020, European Psychiatry.

[14]  C. Chabris,et al.  No Evidence That Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth: Two Failures to Replicate Williams and Bargh (2008) , 2018, Social Psychology.

[15]  Marcelo H. Ang,et al.  Why Robots? A Survey on the Roles and Benefits of Social Robots in the Therapy of Children with Autism , 2013, International Journal of Social Robotics.

[16]  Tanya McCance,et al.  Therapeutic use of dolls for people living with dementia: A critical review of the literature , 2016, Dementia.

[17]  James Everett Young,et al.  Poor Thing! Would You Feel Sorry for a Simulated Robot? A comparison of empathy toward a physical and a simulated robot , 2015, 2015 10th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI).

[18]  Yiannis Demiris,et al.  Adapting robot behavior to user's capabilities: A dance instruction study , 2011, 2011 6th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI).

[19]  C. Gardiner,et al.  Interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness among older people: an integrative review , 2018, Health & social care in the community.