Keepon Pro is a social robot designed for interaction and research with children, mainly those with developmental disorders like Autism. It is a robust hardware/software research platform that serves as a social facilitator and as a recording tool within a playroom or laboratory under the watch of a therapist. Since 2003, it has been used as a tool for researchers, therapists, pediatricians, and parents to observe, study and facilitate social development and behaviours in playrooms and laboratories around the world.
Keepon Pro has been observed to evoke positive engagement from children of varying social ability, possibly by presenting a simplified and easy to understand form of the otherwise confusing human social behaviour.
The Keepon Pro has cameras in it's eyes, a microphone in it's nose, and it can turn -/+ 180 degrees, nod -/+ 40 degrees, and rock -/+ 25 degrees to attract attention, nod, and portray emotion respectively. It can also bounce and compress up to 15mm. This allows for quiet and lifelike movement, and along with a soft, rubber outer skin, it has a safe and comfortable feel in a child's small hands. It's perceptions from children's interactions with it are transmitted to a therapist for responsive puppeteering.
"Human social behavior shares much in common with dance. Our speech, as well as the movement of our body, head, and hands, is periodic and rhythmic. Social scientists such as William S. Condon and Adam Kendon have identified interactional synchrony as a phenomenon that plays an important role in the regulation and coordination of movements, vocalizations, and other social cues. We have been developing technology (using Cycling '74's Max/MSP) to allow robots like Keepon to synchronize with these social rhythms in their interactions."
BEAT BOTS. Keepon Pro. [Online] Available from: http://beatbots.net/keepon-pro [Accessed 1st November 2016]
My Keepon
My Keepon is a toy version of Keepon Pro, produced in partnership with Wow! Stuff. In touch mode is responds to pokes, pats and tickles with a wide variety of emotional movements and sounds. In dance mode, it can recognise the beat in music or clapping and dances along in rhythm. You can also connect your My Keepon to Arduino and control it from your computer.
A percentage of My Keepon sales goes towards the distribution of Keepon Pro robots to Autism researchers and practitioners.
Blennie
Blennie's eyes exhibit vestibulo-ocular reflex ("A reflex, where activation of the vestibular system causes eye movement. This reflex functions to stabilize images on the retinas (in yoked vision[clarification needed]) during head movement by producing eye movements in the direction opposite to head movement, thus preserving the image on the center of the visual field(s)."), his pupils dilate and shrink, his fins move up and down, and he wobbles under his own power.
Source: WIKIPEDIA. Vestibulo–ocular reflex. [Online] Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestibulo%E2%80%93ocular_reflex [Accessed: 1st November 2016]
Ploomi
Ploomi is a robotic character which is touch sensitive, and can detect the softest or harshest interactions, responding emotionally through light, sound and vibration.
Metrognōm
Source: BEAT BOTS. Metrognōm. [Online] Available from: http://beatbots.net/metrognom [Accessed: 2nd November 2016]
Reflection
These Beat Bots are very aesthetically appealing. They all have very cute eyes, and their movable qualities means you keep looking back to see how they are responding. The fact that autistic children will interact with the Keepon Pro but not human as well is amazing, as it shows how a simple 'toy' can encourage other socially disadvantaged children to become interactive. Being physical objects as well, these robotic toys get children away from screens and games consoles, and allow a more real interactive experience to take place.
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