Yōkobo: can a robot help create a bond within a household?

The world of robotics has always fed the human imagination. In works of science fiction, machines are often depicted as superior intelligences, capable of serving their creators, communicating perfectly with them, but also rebelling. But what if robots could help strengthen the bonds between human beings? This question, within a specific framework, is the subject of a doctoral thesis, supported by Carnot TSN and bringing together the Orange company, Strate École de Design, the Laboratoire des Sciences du Numérique de Nantes (LS2N) and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Japan).

Difficult communication between young retired couples

The variety of players involved underlines the diversity of the skills mobilized. " It ' s a hybrid thesis, based on a wide range of disciplines, including design, ergonomics and computer science for robotics ", notes Ioana Ocnarescu, research director and thesis co-supervisor at Strate École de Design.

More specifically, this research focuses on the possible impact of the presence of a behavioral object in the home of a young retired couple. The intention of this type of animated object is to make users think that it has an intention of its own, that it has a life of its own. Why target this particular demographic? " Retirement can be a pivotal time for a couple," notes Dominique Deuff, a doctoral student and researcher at Orange Innovation. " From one day to the next, both members of the household may find themselves spending all their time together at home. This upheaval is likely to alter communication and bring to the fore potential disagreements that were previously blurred by the working day. " Against this backdrop, what can technology offer couples in terms of well-being, thanks to a relatively new field in robotics: behavioral objects? This is what the study seeks to determine.

Feeling alone despite the presence of others

The work, begun in 2018, began with an exploratory phase: the authors went to meet ten couples of young retirees, in France and Japan. The aim: to find out about the people's daily activities in the home, but also to study their reaction to an autonomous robot present in their home, in this case the Pepper robot.

These studies have highlighted people's expectations of a robot in the home. " In particular, respondents wanted the object to be able to replace them in daily tasks, like a robotic butler, and to act as a voice assistant," says the Orange Innovation researcher.

While this feedback was valuable, it did not constitute a set of specifications for the researchers. " Our approach is not to manufacture a product for commercial purposes," says Strate École de Design's Director of Research. " Our aim is to respond to a problem in the field, and to study the object's impact on users' daily lives in real-life situations of use and experience. "

In addition, preliminary studies have highlighted a number of differences between the two countries. In Japan, for example, respondents had higher expectations of the robot's emotional aspect. This desire reflects the feeling of loneliness expressed by several study participants, despite the presence of their spouse under the same roof.

Yōkobo: a smart pocket emptier to simulate the presence of another person at home

The research team has taken a particular interest in this issue, through the design of a robot named "Yōkobo" (" yōkoso " meaning "welcome" in Japanese and "bo" referring to the French word for "robot"). This was developed through a "design process": based on previously collected data, an initial prototype was produced via ideation workshops, then research into concept, form and interaction, before involving robotics engineers from the Japanese university.

The idea was for Yōkobo to respond to several constraints, linked to the study of a behavioral object. Thus, the device developed had to be non-vocal and non-humanoid. What's more, rather than relying on an existing robot, the team preferred to start from an object already present in the home, to robotize it, in order to study the impact induced by this robotization on the people in the household.

That's when the authors turned their attention to the Pouch Emptying System. Why this choice? " It ' s an object located at the entrance, so it can act as a link between people as they come and go," explains Dominique Deuff. " And its location recalls the idea of the butler, echoing the wish expressed during preliminary studies. " According to Ioana Ocnarescu, the researchers thus decided to develop " a sensitive pocket divider that encourages dialogue within the couple ".

A robot capable of recognizing, greeting and mimicking house occupants

Several Yōkobo prototypes have finally seen the light of day, with the ability to adapt their behavior to their environment:

• If he's alone in a room, Yōkobo always displays a little "breathing", a movement that enables him to simulate a presence at all times.
• When someone approaches it (which it detects thanks to ultrasonic sensors), it will "come to life in different ways, depending on the weather", explains the doctoral student. " For example, if it's cold, it will simulate shivering. And if it's hot, it will slow down its movements, so as to reproduce a form of torpor. " These animations depend on data supplied by a weather station: temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and air quality.
• If a person approaches closer, he or she will enter a state of "greeting". " In this case, Yōkobo tries to mimic the user, reproducing the dynamics of his gestures," Dominique Deuff describes. " If I give a Japanese greeting, it will imitate that movement. If I make large gestures with my arms, it will respond with a similar animation, within the limits of its capabilities. " A feature reminiscent of a butler greeting the occupants of the home.

What's more, Yōkobo is able to recognize its various users, thanks to their sets of keys, completed with an RFID tag. This capability enables the object to transmit a "message" from one member of the couple to the other. Indeed, when an individual puts down his or her keys, the robot will reproduce his or her partner's gestures, previously recorded during the previous "greeting". It will then memorize the newcomer's movements, so as to be able to communicate the trace of this passage to the second occupant.

Robotics has yet to find its place

In this way, Yōkobo creates direct links between spouses. " But it also acts as an indirect intermediary," adds the Orange Innovation researcher. " Because the idea is also to bring the couple closer together around a new subject: the robot and its reactions. " The latter are sometimes unexpected, which can encourage members of the household to share their feelings. This is what is emerging from the first experiments underway: two households have already received a prototype of the robot in France, and a third will follow. Sensitivity to movement thus plays a major role in interactions with the object and between the individuals themselves.

At the same time, Yōkobo was awarded the prize for excellence at the Kawaii Kansei Design Award. This competition, organized in Japan, aims to reward projects that meet the criteria of " kawaii ", the Japanese term meaning "cute". The shape and interaction of the Robot Pouch Emptying System won over the jury.

So, can we imagine Yōkobo becoming a fixture in every home in the future? "It' s important to bear in mind, however, that robotics is not the answer to every problem," says Ioana Ocnarescu. " Today, autonomous technologies are still in their infancy, and we need to ask ourselves what role they can play alongside human beings. As researchers in this field, we don't particularly advocate robotics. Our sole ambition is to improve well-being, comfort and communication within the home, whatever the means employed, more or less technological ". The home of the future will only be built by robots if they add real value in these areas.

Dominique Deuff will be defending her thesis on these promising subjects on January 24, 2023 at Strate Ecole de Design in Sèvres.