For my IAT267 (Introduction to Technological Systems) course, we were required to create an interactive system using three sensors and the Arduino electronics program as well as Processing, which is an extension of Java. 

Our group decided to create the RP-Bot, which is an educational, multifunctional toy designed to teach children about temperatures such as the freezing and boiling point, and the range of room temperature. Our project uses light, slider, and IR proximity sensors that triggers a specific response. Feedback consist of visual animations, mechanical movement, and electrical outputs—each with an appropriate emotive sound. The animated expressions of RP-Bot give it a personality, hence the robot also acts as a companion to the child.

The above-linked video was created by myself to illustrate how the user would react with our final creation and display the outputs following these interactions.

The Design

After presenting our prototype, we wanted to make RP-Bot’s animation states look more visually appealing. We did this by changing the Processing drawn face expressions into PNG images made from Adobe Illustrator which I created. This is RP-Bot’s face that you see in the final implementation and on the cover page. Additionally, we decided to swap the touch sensor for a different one because we ran into a recurring problem.

My Contribution

For the coding part of the project, I oversaw the debugging and set the different states for the temperature game aspect of our project. For the design portion, I contributed in designing the face of our RP-Bot and his animated expressions for each state of the program. I also created the first iteration of our schematic and interaction model, to show how each component was interacting together to produce our intended output. I also put together the video to display how these aspects ended up actually interacting with the user in real life. For the physical portion of our project, I designed the arms of the RP-Bot and attached them to the servo.  In terms of improving the design of our physical model, I gave suggestions to improve the quality of our model’s functionality and aesthetics.

Without everyone’s hard work, we would not have the quality of visual and auditory aesthetics and smooth functionality of RP-Bot’s final iteration; everyone used their unique strengths to improve our final project to ensure our success. I believe RP-Bot kept visual consistency throughout the entire program, as well as having smooth transitions throughout the user’s interaction, which is why it turned out to be successful in terms in serving our purpose of being a cute, educational friend that can be easily utilized by children.