Invited lecture
Mon 29 March 2010 at 14-16, room B222 (Exactum, Kumpula)
Keepon: A social robot for research, therapy, and entertainment
Marek Michalowski, Ph.D.
Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute
Keepon is a social robot designed for playful interaction with children.
It was developed by Dr. Hideki Kozima for use in autism research and
therapy, where it serves as a mediator between therapists and children;
a facilitator of positive social behavior; a pivot for interaction with
peers and caregivers; and a tool for recording and analyzing the
resulting interactions. We have also used the robot to study social
development and nonverbal interaction, particularly the role of
synchrony between rhythmic behaviors in social engagement. Finally,
Keepon's ability to dance to social and environmental rhythms has
resulted in the creation of a number of popular music videos. This talk
will review these complementary activities in social welfare and
entertainment. For more information, please see http://beatbots.net.
Welcome!
Hannu Toivonen