SOcio is a robot gripper suited for collaborative robots (the so called cobots), a sub-category of industrial machines which did not only prove to increase productivity without replacing the human workers, but it also has the seconday benefit to expand this Human-Machine cooperations in many different sectors, even outside the industrial world, like Craftsmanship.
This project is a small but significant step to make technologies and small workers live harmoniously while preserving traditions.
Cross-border/international
Italy
Italy
{Empty}
{Empty}
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
SOcio is a robot gripper with a translucent case, interchangeable fingertips
and a light interface layout, to generate an efficient and emphatic communication machine-user.
It is suited for collaborative robots (cobots), which are slowly but steadily expanding in many different sectors, even outside the industrial world.
Then, a mechanical component capable to create an empathic interaction robot-human can help to make a complex machine being accepted by many users with different backgrounds.
I got inspired by already existing robot workers, such as ESA's CIMON or Rethink Robotics's Sawyer, as well as an interesting research about the Design in the Human Robot Interaction, and some prototypes achieved with Arduino boards focused on simple but efficient light effects, thanks to rgb leds and translucent cases.
This robot gripper is designed to improve the already existing light scheme of the cobot Panda, increasing messages and animations to add shapes of signals as well a personality to the tool.
There are four messages: Boosting. Action. Error. Software error.
Secondary but still relevant elements are the interchangeable fingertips.
Working robots with interfaces ,such as Sawyer or Walt, already exist.
Same thing for gripper with lights, like Schunk's Co-act.
Nevertheless, they both show up great limits: the first ones require extra space, many sensors and elaborate coding;
the others lack in emphaty, and might result tools without soul.
SOcio is a reasonable compromise. It's compact and light, it allows multiple animations with low-cost components, simple coding, and has a simple but distinctive outline. Plus, as a tool it can be removed from the arm.
A minimalistic but functional item with personality.
Cobotics
Human Robot Interaction
Craftsmanship 4.0
Human Machine Cooperation
Arts&Robotics
Even if the gripper is not designed to be specifically sustainable, its own components, materials and assembling follow indirectly some principles of Dieter Ram's Good Design: easy to assemble and useful, long lasting use and durable materials (that are also common and well known on the market, which can be useful for their dismission). We can also consider the elements are quite adaptable, not only for the activities but also as manufacturing technologies.
The fingertips, for example, are designed for pick-and-place operations on different objects, and their shapes can be achieved with different machines, not only 3D printing or sheet metal bending.
In shorts, a good designed product can also be sustainable and environmentally respectful.
Craftmanship 4.0 is an intersting sector, showing up how modern technologies can greatly help century-old activities. The main obstacles are the prices and the culture, that is used to picture robots as enemies.
A friendly and low-cost interface might help these two world to harmonically merge themselves.
Minimum parts imply low-cost production without losing quality and features; the cobotic market is full of competitors indeed, so the quality/price ratio is a crucial value. As a benefit, an advanced tool like a robotic arm has an accesible price for new kinds of customers; small companies, small workers, schools and teachers...maybe even artists.
And yet, such a technoligical output can result worthless, as well as unsellable, if it is not clear, it it looks complex, dangerous, hurting, nor aesthetically captivating or only worrying. The machine has to make you smile, make you willing to use it and wonder like a kid once you see it in action.
Apart from the university and the research center that supported this project, also some private workers were included as users for testing the light signals clarity and efficiency: a robot technician, a maker and a luthier.
If SOcio would be deeper developed, tests like this would be repeated on different subjects with different background, mainly still small workers but also artists and teachers of any level, for a richer and more various feedback. Maybe even including people with disabilities, might give unexpected results.
All these experimentations would be made for the prototype, before its launch as a definitive product on the definitive market.
The concept was developed as a Master degree thesis with the support of the Research Center IndexLab of Lecco, Italy.
The future ideal stakeholder might be a robotic company, either national or international.
Cobotic is a fascinating combination of Mechatronic, Artificial Intelligence merged with Industrial and UX/UI Design, which have to deal with Psychology and Anthropology to produce something that can work even outside the factory; the results can affect the Ethic and Society where the product would be developed and sold, either in the short and long term.
Working robots with interfaces ,such as Sawyer or Walt, already exist.
Same thing for gripper with lights, like Schunk's Co-act.
Nevertheless, they both show up great limits: the first ones require extra space, many sensors and elaborate coding; plus, the result might not always create attraction.
The others lack in emphaty: no light animations, few colors, basic outline...Tools without soul.
SOcio is a reasonable compromise. It's compact and light, it allows multiple animations with low-cost components, simple coding, and has a simple but distinctive outline. Plus, as a tool it can be removed from the arm.
A minimalistic tool with personality.
Generally all the features of this concept can be replicated and/or adapted or another tool: the RGB led layout, the adaptable fingertips, the three main materials (Polycarbonate, Alluminium and Polyurethane), the organic shape.
The important key, is respecting the goal they were made for.
Some valuable points are indoubtedly increasing and spreading a positive tech culture, evolving and preserving Craftsmanship and arts with new tools and languages (i.e. Ariella Vidach and its choreographic arm), as well as excelling in competitive markets with a modern example of good design, rather than consuming planned obsolescence.
