Last month, Apple offered more information about her consumer robotics work through A research work That argues that traits such as expressive movements are key to optimizing human-robot interaction. “Like most animals,” the report begins, “humans are highly sensitive to movement and subtle changes in movement.”
To illustrate its point, Apple pays tribute to Pixar, another company founded with the help of the late Steve Jobs. Since Pixar debuted for the first time in A homonymous short film of 1985The Loxo Jr. lamp has served as Animation Studio’s pet. For research, Apple also chose a lamp for its own “non -anthropomorphic” example. After all, the lamps do not have obvious features in human form, but it can be made to behave familiar.
“For robots to interact more naturally with humans,” says the article, “the design of the robot movement must also integrate expressive qualities, such as intention, attention and emotions, together with traditional functional considerations such as compliance of the tasks and the efficiency of time. “
TO video launched together with the document shows some of these movements. As expected, they are mostly echoing those of the creation of Pixar. That includes the same similar parts, with the lamp screen that serves as a head, while the arm stands in the neck.
The most intriguing part of the video, with respect to the possible productization, occurs when a user consults the robot. In its simplest form, the nameless lamp robot works as a more kinetic version of a Homepod, Amazon Echo or other intelligent speaker. The person who faces the lamp asks a consultation and the robot answers with Siri’s voice.
A divided screen video highlights the importance of expressive movements. When asked how the weather outside is, a version simply establishes the answer. The other turns the head to look out the window as if the view offered information on which the robot can draw. It is a simple example, but leads home how even small movements take advantage of our lizard brain Pareidolia. The familiarity of expressive movements helps to form a connection between human and object.
Apple’s research comes as the company is increasing its consumer robotics efforts before the planned liberation of a Most advanced intelligent domestic system. It is clear how these learning can be applied so that a robotic home center is more expressive. It is similar to the approach that Amazon has taken with its Astro Robot. However, the inclusion of a non -anthropomorphic factor in the investigation implies that the robot can be even less humanoid than that of Amazon.
The rumors surrounding the next launch have described the hub as “a robot arm with an attached iPad”. It is easy to see how the lamp form factor could be applied there. Of course, Apple’s consumption robotics division seems to continue being the research phase. It can happen a lot between now and then, from an important change in the form factor to the decision to disconnect the project before launch.