Developing Robot Prototypes to Explore Robot-Facilitated Family Routines

In this late-breaking report, we present our design process motivated to build tangible, cost-effective, child- and family-friendly social robot prototypes aimed to (1) support the practical needs of families, as well as (2) serve as a feasible research platform to mitigate technical and logistical challenges faced within conducting inhome HRI studies. We apply a research through design approach, combined with participatory design methods, to produce functional prototypes. In future work, we are preparing to continue improving prototype design by conducting (1) iterative co-design sessions with artists and product designers focusing on the hardware design, (2) iterative co-design sessions with families focusing on the interaction design, and (3) long-term technology probe studies in homes to evaluate the effectiveness of the technological platform. We aim to solicit feedback from the HRI community on our design process and prototype research platform.