sensate

The Sensate Bear
MIT Master’s Thesis
With full-body capacitive touch sensors, I used this testrig robot to explore realtime algorithms for understanding nonverbal communication, specifically, social touch. Though pictured with sensors exposed, the system is designed to fit under its teddybear fur. The sensor system and architecture will be incorporated into the next design iteration of the Huggable robotic teddy bear, intended for use in healthcare, education and remote-communication. I recently presented my work on the Sensate Bear at the International Conference of Human Robot Interaction as part of a workshop titled ‘How socially accepted robots can be integrated into our society.’