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Social robotics is a bit narrow. We got domestic robots (Roomba etc.)! Personally, I think the market has spoken: robots that do something useful are appreciate

Social robotics is a bit narrow. We got domestic robots (Roomba etc.)! Personally, I think the market has spoken: robots that do something useful are appreciated enough for businesses to be built. Robots cannot replace dogs, we have good dogs already, replacing a human is sci-fi.

blacksmith_tb 7y ago
Right now a robot isn't going to be great replacement for a living pet in terms of quality time spent together. But it can be neglected or ignored without serious consequences, which might make it appropriate for someone who can't[1] (or won't) take care of a real pet. 1: https://joyforall.com/ https://joyforall.com/
etoxin 7y ago
I bought a Anki Vector about a year ago to tinker with the sdk. After messing with the sdk, I left it turned on for the duration of the year. I don't use any of the voice actions but its awareness in the environment I feel is enough. It sits in the kitchen and has prime position. I could not classify it as a "Buddy" or "Friend" but I care about it enough not to turn it off. I think the next stage for these social robots is to learn(AI) unique personalities. eg. Movements, noises, faces. So no two social robots are the same.
- ocdtrekkie 7y ago
  Ultimately the reason I moved towards the "write my own assistant" thing is that I wanted it to be personal to me. Alexa, Siri, Google are literally corporate entities you can chat with, no matter how much they dress it up with jokes. But the barrier of entry to that is high, and the quality of course won't compare at this juncture. I'd love to see more "build your own" type setups which give you the level of power and polish of a commercial assistant but let you really design what you want it to do. (I feel like the assistant and robot conversations are the same here. Put it in a body or put it on a screen, but that "personality" you interact with should be yours, not off-the-shelf.)

blacksmith_tb 7y ago

Right now a robot isn't going to be great replacement for a living pet in terms of quality time spent together. But it can be neglected or ignored without serious consequences, which might make it appropriate for someone who can't[1] (or won't) take care of a real pet. 1: https://joyforall.com/ https://joyforall.com/

etoxin 7y ago

I bought a Anki Vector about a year ago to tinker with the sdk. After messing with the sdk, I left it turned on for the duration of the year. I don't use any of the voice actions but its awareness in the environment I feel is enough. It sits in the kitchen and has prime position. I could not classify it as a "Buddy" or "Friend" but I care about it enough not to turn it off. I think the next stage for these social robots is to learn(AI) unique personalities. eg. Movements, noises, faces. So no two social robots are the same.

ocdtrekkie 7y ago
Ultimately the reason I moved towards the "write my own assistant" thing is that I wanted it to be personal to me. Alexa, Siri, Google are literally corporate entities you can chat with, no matter how much they dress it up with jokes. But the barrier of entry to that is high, and the quality of course won't compare at this juncture. I'd love to see more "build your own" type setups which give you the level of power and polish of a commercial assistant but let you really design what you want it to do. (I feel like the assistant and robot conversations are the same here. Put it in a body or put it on a screen, but that "personality" you interact with should be yours, not off-the-shelf.)