Project homeSocial Robot
The Pepper robot
The pepper robot was chosen due to multiple reasons. Its chest-mounted touchscreen provides an excellent display for showing recipes and the steps that need to be taken. It also offers an excellent tool for selecting recipes by allowing the user to scroll through them. Since the robot serves as a cooking assistant, the PwD needs to trust the robot to understand safety. The childlike and animal designs of the other robots could cause a lack of trust in the robot among the PwD. The wheeled base and multiple cameras allow the pepper robot to move around the kitchen and keep an eye on the cooking progress. Its gesture recognition capabilities could prove useful when monitoring cooking steps. See the table below for a comprehensive comparison between the Navel, Pepper, Nao, and MiRo-E robots.
Comparison Table
| Navel | Pepper | Nao | MiRo-E | |
| Height | 72 cm | 120 cm | 58 cm | 40 cm |
| Weight | 8 kg | 28 kg | 5.4 kg | exact weight unknown but lightweight |
| Design Style | Humanoid, childlike & friendly | Humanoid, sleek & futuristic | Humanoid, childlike | Biomorphic (looks like a dog) |
| Facial Features | Large, expressive digital eyes | Large black LED eyes | LED eyes and a speaker "mouth" | Large, round eyes & movable ears |
| Display/Screen | No screen | Chest-mounted touchscreen | No screen | No screen |
| Arms & Hands | No arms | Two arms with articulated fingers | Two arms with three-fingered hands | No arms |
| Mobility | Wheeled base | Wheeled base | Fully articulated legs (can walk) | Wheeled base |
| Main interaction mode | Speech, facial expressions, movement | Speech, touchscreen, gestures | Speech, gestures, movement | Sound, movement, touch sensors |
| Speakers | Yes, built-in for conversation | Yes, high-quality stereo speakers | Yes, high-quality speakers | Yes, high-quality speakers |
| Microphones | Multiple, for speech recognition | 4 directional microphones (360 degree sound detection) | 4 directional microphones | Multiple microphones for detecting sounds |
| Cameras | 3D cameras in head for facial recognition | Two HD cameras (forehead & mouth) for object & face tracking | Two HD cameras for visual recognition | Front-facing camera for object and face detection |
| Touch sensors | no touch sensors | Touch sensors on head and hands | Touch sensors on head, hands and feet | Full-body touch sensors |
| Lidar/Depth sensors | No lidar | Lidar and sonar for obstacle avoidance | Infrared and ultrasonic sensors for navigation | Sonar sensors for environment mapping |
| Proximity Sensors | Basic proximity detection | Multiple sensors fro detecting obstacles and movement | Advanced proximity sensors for avoiding collisions | Proximity sensors for interacting with users |
| Gyroscope/IMU | no advance motion sensors | 6 axis IMU for balance | IMU & accelerometer for walking stability | IMU and gyroscope for smooth movement |
| Unique features | Highly expressive digital face | Touchscreen for interaction and recognizes emotions, dances, and gestures | Fully programmable, advanced motion capabilities | Animal-like responses, reacts to touch |