Human Experience Designer
Affective Interaction Explorer
Speculative Art Attempter
Social Robotics Practitioner
Projects
About
What People Say
A design workshop with senior participants from the South Eastern Community Connect to explore the appeal and potential of social robots on facilitating their daily activities.
# Participatory Design
# Inclusivity and Accessibility
# Human-Centered Robotics
Collaborator
Co-Design Methodologies · Prototyping and Demonstration · Design Presentation
In the context of senior citizens facing distinct challenges and expectations in their daily lives, social robotics presents remarkable possibilities for enhancing their physical activities, cognitive functions, and emotional well-being. Thus, we embarked on a research in this intriguing area, beginning with a Co-Design workshop aimed at gathering qualitative, user-centered insights into their circumstances, needs, emotions, and aspirations.
We extended invitations to all senior participants from the South Eastern Community Connect (SECC) in Sydney for this initial exploration. The workshop was led by my supervisor, Dr Eduardo Sandoval. I co-hosted the workshop, designed and showcased prototypes on human-robot collaboration, addressed participants’ questions, and gathered their input, which served as invaluable firsthand insights for our continuous study. The prototypes and activities we presented included robots playing musical instruments, performing fundamental tasks such as moving objects, and engaging in card games alongside human counterparts.
The workshop unfolded with remarkable success, garnering extraordinary interest and appreciation from the senior attendees. It also received strong endorsement from the CEO of SECC, Ms Kate Melhopt, sparking their enthusiasm and willingness for further research collaboration.
UNSW Ageing Futures Institute. (2022, October 21). The use of social robotics to address specific ageing needs. News and Events; UNSW Research. https://research.unsw.edu.au/ageingfutures/news/use-social-robotics-address-specific-ageing-needs
SECC. (2020, March 4). Robotics expert makes a difference with Maths. South Eastern Community Connect (SECC). https://www.secc.sydney/robotics-expert-makes-a-difference-with-maths/