How do social robots emerge from simple, soft shapes? As part of their final thesis in 2021 at the School of Business FHNW, 23-year-old students Nhi Tran Hoang Yen and Thang Hoang Vu from Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) have answered this question posed by their supervisor Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel. They have submitted eleven proposals for novel robots. The first is a pillow to which a tail has been added. Its name is Petanion, a portmanteau of „pet“ and „companion“. The tail could move like the tail of a cat or dog. In addition, the pillow could make certain sounds. It would be optimal if the tail movements were based on the behavior of the user. Thus, as desired, a social robot is created from a simple, soft form, in this case a pet substitute. Petanion is soft and cute and survives a long time. It can also be used if one has certain allergies or if there is not enough space or money in a household for a pet. Last but not least, the ecological balance is probably better – above all, the robot does not eat animals that come from factory farming. The inspiration may have been Qoobo, a pillow with a tail, designed to calm and to „heal the heart“. Panasonic also believes in robots that emerge from simple, soft forms. It promotes its new robot NICOBO as a „yowai robotto“, a “weak” robot that has hardly any functions or capabilities. The round, cute robot has two separate displays as eyes and a tail that it constantly moves. According to the company, it is aimed primarily at singles and the elderly. There could well be a high demand for it, even beyond the target groups.

Fig.: NICOBO in the arms of its owner (Photo: Panasonic)