Puff me up!

Soft alter ego robot that grows out of the body

2021

Project Summary

In research on alter-ego robots that communicate conversations and actions of remote persons, wearable robots have been developed so that interaction can take place anywhere. In the adopted technology, a small, lightweight, safe, and flexible design alter ego robot is realized by using a soft robot. The outer skin is made of cloth and inflates with air to appear only when needed. It is possible to create targeted movements by controlling the internal strings, and since it can be folded thin when not in use, it proposes a future communication in which others appear and move in a fluffy manner from something you wear like clothes or accessories.

Members

Young ah Seong, Takuji Narumi (Tokyo University), Ryoma Niiyama (Meiji University)

Exhibitions

This work is on permanent display at The Lab at Grand Front Osaka. (End date undecided)

Awards

Innovative Technologies 2022

Runner-up, Knowledge Innovation Award, Knowledge Capital Category, 9th Knowledge Innovation Awards (2021)

Press Coverages

“Make it, touch it, feel it - Thinking about future interfaces from the viewpoint of soft robots,” Diamond Online (2022.9.17).