Social robotics: robots for better everyday life

Robotics may have seen its development accelerate in recent years, but it has held a certain fascination for much longer, particularly in science fiction. In fact, the word is said to have been used for the first time in 1941, in a story by the seminal writer Isaac Asimov. However, the arrival of robots in society is often associated with a threat or apprehension: the uprising of machines, the replacement of human employees...

What is a social robot?

In contrast to these doomsday scenarios, social robotics aims to promote a positive vision of technology, seeking the best way to put machines at the service of society and the individual. Ioana Ocnarescu, research director and researcher at Strate École de Design, and Adriana Tapus, professor and researcher at ENSTA Paris, are working to advance research in this field. They have both contributed to the creation of the Robotics by Design Lab, a laboratory with the Carnot Télécom et Société numérique label, headed by the former, which focuses its activities on this issue.

"A social robot has the particularity of possessing cognitive capabilities and being able to interact with human beings in their daily lives," explains Adriana Tapus. It must therefore be able to perceive its environment, understand it and adapt its behavior accordingly.

Another special feature of such a robot is its physical embodiment. It has a bodily envelope and the ability to move. This property excludes certain artificial intelligence applications, such as voice assistants (Siri, Alexa...). "What interests us is when an object becomes a subject," states Ioana Ocnarescu. "This implies another presence than the passive approach of a classic tool. For example, a toaster that adopts a certain behavior depending on the user would be part of our field of study." The term "robjet" was coined in Strate by Dominique Sciamma, and refers to an everyday object that "comes to life".

Social robotics, the challenge

Generally speaking, the ambition of social robotics is to improve living conditions. Machines aim to integrate into the daily lives of human beings, with regular interactions enriching their understanding of their environment. Various applications are envisaged, particularly for the elderly. For example, in the field of Social Assistive Robotics, this could involve facilitating support during rehabilitation programs. The Paro robot, for its part, is used in several countries as a medical device to calm anxiety attacks. Similarly, physical devices could act as mediators between residents of retirement homes or EHPAD, bringing together people suffering from loneliness. Indeed, Robotics by Design Lab's focus is not on developing robots capable of interacting with lonely people, but on designing machines that can help individuals regain a social link with their loved ones, caregivers and their ecosystem.

Nevertheless, social robotics faces a multitude of challenges, not least because the technology is not yet ready. It's not enough to place a robot in the midst of humans for it to be truly beneficial to users, especially when it comes to long-term cohabitation. On the contrary, inappropriate behavior on the part of the machine can quickly lead to mistrust, or even outright rejection.

So what's the right thing to do? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is highly complex. Firstly, there are major cultural differences: a robot will not always act in the same way in Japan as in France, for example. But there are also inter-individual and even intra-individual differences to consider! After all, the same person can react differently to different days and moods.

Moreover, in certain situations, the design of a social robot raises other questions. There is a risk of creating a form of dependence on the robotic system, leading to a loss of autonomy," warns Adriana Tapus. "In this case, it may be preferable to help the user perform actions themselves rather than do everything for them." Always with the aim of enabling the elderly to live at home for as long as possible. " Just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should," sums up Ioana Ocnarescu.

A shared, multidisciplinary laboratory

Robotics by Design Lab aims to resolve these issues and, more generally, before asking questions about acceptability, to think about service and experience with social robots. The aim is to determine how to respond not only to the needs, but also to the desires of users, so as to go beyond mere practical utility, while always being part of a more global approach to the habitability of the world.

To this end, the joint laboratory relies on a multidisciplinary approach. It brings together expertise in design, robotics, IT, social sciences, etc., through the presence of both academic and industrial players. In particular, partner companies provide researchers with experimental facilities for their work, aimed at identifying the potential benefits of social robotics for their activities. And all the players involved meet up regularly, at physical or virtual events, to make progress together on the common issues identified.

The laboratory's research work takes the form of four CIFRE theses. Design is at the heart of each one, a field to which specific expertise is added, depending on the project's stakeholders. The disciplines involved in social robotics are all intertwined, a particularity that encourages PhD students to exchange ideas with one another, in order to make faster progress via a multi-dimensional vision. " In a way, they are all pieces of the same puzzle: each thesis can feed the others," summarizes Adriana Tapus.

Living and ageing better every day

"One of the most ambitious theses from a technical and design point of view", according to Ioana Ocnarescu, is being supervised by the two researchers. It is being carried out in partnership with Spoon, a French start-up that develops artificial creatures called "SPooNies". A SPooNy takes the form of a robotic arm holding a tablet, on which the face of an undefined animal is displayed. Its purpose: to evolve and grow in a social environment, based on interactions with humans. The aim of the thesis is to develop a "Creature Development Kit", i.e. a set of tools enabling SPooNy to be personalized and adapted to each context, ultimately creating more social links. With the added difficulty of being able to interact within a group of several people, which requires the ability to identify different voices, understand simultaneous utterances and respect certain social customs (looking at your interlocutor to show you're listening, physically turning towards the individual you're addressing...).

The three other Robotics by Design Lab theses are as follows:

• Thesis with CESI's LINEACT laboratory, Strate and SNCF: going against the grain of the idea that machines will replace human employees, how can robotics help employees achieve professional fulfillment? This notion of well-being is approached through the "ikigai" model, a Japanese concept that represents the intersection of four dimensions: "what I like", "what I'm good at", "what I'm paid for" and "what the world needs".
• Thesis with the PROJEKT team from the University of Nîmes, Strate and the Korian company: how can robotics help EHPAD nursing staff? The aim would be to identify the tools that would enable staff in these establishments to provide the best possible support for residents.
• Thesis with UPEC, Strate, design consultancy frog, BNP Paribas Cardif and Capgemini Engineering (ex-Altran): how can robotics help the elderly preserve their relationship with their pet at home? Having such a companion in your life helps reduce feelings of loneliness. The idea here is not to use the robot as a substitute, but to place it between the human being and the animal, in order to meet the needs of both (particularly in the event of a decline in the individual's cognitive abilities).

At present, social robots are not yet part of our daily lives. However, we need to start thinking today about the issues raised by the imminent arrival of these machines. This means combining technical fields such as robotics and design with disciplines such as philosophy and the social sciences. Because beyond technical know-how, the design of truly beneficial robots requires a detailed understanding of human beings.