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The EPFL biorobotics lab
is developing self-configurable robotics known as "Roombots," which can
merge with materials and furnishings to create adaptable furniture for
the home and office.
"It's a bit of a
science-fiction project in my lab to create intelligent furniture which
can change shape and functionality," explains lab director Auke
Ijspeert. "We envisage the Roombots moving and combining to create a
diversity of elements including tables and chairs." The goal is to
create furniture that can be re-used in multiple ways.
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Designs would consist of
Roombot modules -- which resemble two dice stuck together, and contain a
battery, three motors for movements and pivoting, and a wireless
connection. Each module is just 22cm long and the team imagine just 10
of them could combine to build a broad range of furniture. "The Roombots
would be coupled with more passive materials such as a table top or
cushion to create the end results," says Ijspeert.
It's a bit of a science-fiction project in my lab to create intelligent furniture which can change shape and functionality
Auke Ijspeert, EPFL
Auke Ijspeert, EPFL
However, the team's
immediate goals are to create mobile furniture to assist the elderly and
those with reduced mobility. "Let's say an elderly person is using a
walker, the furniture could have modules attached for it to move out of
the way in a cluttered apartment or have a stool follow the person and
remain close by," describes Ijspeert.
For now, the team have
managed to enable a few modules to interact, coordinated by algorithms
on a PC, but they plan to improve human-robot interactions by either
embedding cameras to track where users are or using voice recognition
for people to instruct their furniture.
Further hopes lie in
using tablets to display a room virtually, with people using augmented
reality to then move and place furnishings as they desire. "Eventually
we want less and less human interaction to have a more fluid transition
of furniture," says Ijspeert.
Designs aren't limited to
the home and could be applied to the workplace to create high-end
conference rooms that reconfigure according to functionality, and
eventually anywhere, with people creating their own uses for the
building blocks.
"What I really hope is to provide Lego blocks for people to find their own use such as artists or designers," says Ijspeert.
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