A supportive multimodal mobile robot for the home

Abstract

This paper explores how multimodality and robotics can aid us to support users in their homes. We describe how our work attempts to tackle issues such as privacy, control of personal space and fun within the home. In an ever increasingly ageing society, we realize that certain information gathering or support may be required by users in their homes. However, we strongly believe that we should preserve a user's privacy in their home and ensure that any artifact we propose is seen as fun, aesthetically pleasing and most importantly non-stigmatizing. We describe in this paper how a multimodal mobile robot can assist in the monitoring of a home in a fun and unobtrusive way. © Springer-Verlag 2004.