PRE2020 3 Group2

Robot Desk Companion

Currently Working: Ahmad

Group Members

Name	Student ID	Department	Email address
Okke Rikmenspoel	1376489	Psychology and Technology	o.m.rikmenspoel@student.tue.nl
Christian Janssen	1458167	Psychology and Technology	c.h.f.janssen@student.tue.nl
Richard van Loon	1238071	Computer Science and Engineering	r.p.a.v.loon@student.tue.nl
Ahmad Alsarakbi	1285874	Computer Science and Engineering	a.alsarakbi@student.tue.nl
Isabel Kuipers	1297325	Industrial Design	i.e.kuipers@student.tue.nl

Sources

Ahmad

Problem statement

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in early 2020, students had to work from home for longer periods of time. Different types of health problems occurred due to the work-from-home situation. Students sit in front of their screen for many hours, neglecting their health by not taking breaks or taking care of themselves. Concentration is heavily impacted as well, a phone is almost always in sight and nobody is telling them not to use it. Mobile phones can be distracting depending on what you do with them. Studies have shown that texting or social media use is highly distracting when studying but listening to music does not have to.

Students do not need a nanny bot, however, a robot which guides them in the right direction would be very beneficial (sources). This robot will be placed on the desk where the student works. The robot should not be too distracting (1). It should give friendly health-related reminders (2). And It should guide and motivate studying (3).

Robot description

This robot will be designed towards students and high-schoolers between the age of 12 and 25. It will be designed to stand on their desk and guide them during their studying time. The robot has a screen through which it can communicate with its owner. The robot will communicate on different kinds of things to help the student stay concentrated and healthy. It will show icons that will light up to remind the student to for instance drink water, sit up straight or not use their mobile phone. This will be done in a way that it does not distract the user when he/she is busy studying. Of course the robot should not inflict distractions upon the user. Reminding to drink water can be done every x amount of time. You could do the same for sitting up straight, but it would be ideal if the robot could detect the body posture of its user and work from there. Usage of a mobile phone is an interesting problem since there is a possibility to make a box where the user could put their phone into and put a time lock on it. We will research to what extent people are willing to hand in their mobile phone and let the robot restrict them on the use of it.

The robot will, as mentioned earlier, have a screen to communicate. Overall the robot should have a minimalistic design, to prevent possible distractions. Another function is an alarm, which the user can install him/herself. Because of this function, the robot can also remind the user when to go to sleep to get a sufficient amount of rest.

Objectives

1. Not be too distracting.
2. Support health during studying .
3. Guide studying.

USE Analysis

User analysis:

The main users of this robot will be students, and people with concentration problems. But mostly students with concentration problems. This robot can help people with getting work or study done, by making sure the users follow their schedule. The goal is to help the user make a schedule, because without a schedule the robot will not work, after that the robot will help the user to make sure they actually follow the schedule. A secondary effect of the robot is that the user will stay healthier by making sure the user gets enough movement, enough breaks and makes sure the user will not get too distracted by the phone.

Society analysis:

Schools and Universities will profit from this product because the students that need help with studying and have concentration issues can be assigned with such a robot to make sure the school needs to do less work to make sure the students do not get concentration issues, and if they have them, to solve it. Also parents will profit from this because they will not have to worry about their kids not concentrating or being on their phone constantly because the robot makes sure their user studies and otherwise tries to get the user to do the work. This is also the case when someone works for a business and has trouble working at home or at office. The product can help them work and take breaks when needed.

Enterprise analysis:

Businesses will also have profit from this product. Students are being helped to study, which means they on average will get higher grades which means more knowledge. This knowledge will help with work. Also when working the users will be helped and be more time effective. This will help the overall economy grow. Because of corona more and more people are working at home and it has proven to be effective. This product will make working at home even more effective.

Use cases:

Karl is 20 years old computer science student, he spends a lot of time working and studying on his laptop, lately he can't concentrate good enough on his work and is stuck in bad habits which makes it even harder to do so.

Also due to COVID-19 he is spending a lot of time at home working alone which is making him a bit lonely.

Karl heard about {bot name} and how it can help you follow good habits to increase concentration, and how it also gives the feeling of a social companion which makes you feel less lonely.

After buying {bot name} it helped him organize his work and study sessions better, he no longer gets absorbed in his work for hours on end, no with the help of {bot name} he gets reminded to go for a walk every every 45-60 minutes, he also can better track how long he has been studying.

He also don't get easily distracted by his phone which used to happen a lot, {bot name} keeps tabs on phone usage and reminds Karl to go back to studying every time he gets distracted by his phone, it also encourages him that the study session is about to end and he can look at it afterwards in his break time.

Effect of colors on the brain

We also did research on colors, research by shift shows that low wavelength colors can improve efficiency and focus. For example the color green or blue. The color orange is a mood lifter. The color is welcoming, it promotes comfort and it also improves neural functioning. Theorists argue that an environment that is rich of orange colors, could increase oxygen levels in the brain. This could eventually lead to feeling invigorated. And makes you ready to get things done, for example school work. Ofcourse it is not only color but also brightness and saturation. When you want to boost energy, use a bright orange and when you want to relax go for mellow. The last color that is spoken of is blue. About blue they say that it makes people more productive. Blue is the best used to enhance learning. Lighter shades of blue look more friendly and lighter ones more somber. Many color psychologists would recommend to use orange. But some orange should be added. Too much blue could create a cold environment and a sense of detachment.

In the article How Does Color Affect Memory we searched for new findings and confirmation of our information we already gathered. This article also says blue enhances knowledge, and orange promotes warmth, joy and balance. A study in University of British Columbia found that Red and Blue colors are best for enhancing cognitive skills. With detail oriented tasks, but also with memory retention, red was much better than blue. Red heightened their attention as well. In this article we also found that when studying you should restrict the use of colors to 2. This is the case with making notes but might also be of use for our project.

At last the site barker whittle states that the color blue encourages better mind flow and performance. It makes sure that the surroundings are relaxing and are better to study or work in. Strong shades of blue support brain thought processes, and lighter shades of blue improve concentration. This article also talks about orange. Orange promotes focus concentration and creativity. The color encourages to be organized and keep your room organized. This will help being motivated to study or work. The brightness of orange is important. Strong brightness can stimulate but be distracting. Orange is the perfect color when you need energy. Green is also ideal for study rooms. It has a calming effect. It also relieves stress.

In conclusion, we want to use the effects of the colors optimally. This is why we will use blue in our robot to enhance the productivity and learning of the users. We will use the color orange in the breaks to make sure the users get organized, creative and more joy in their breaks. The last colors red and green might also be good to use for our robot. We might give it as an option in the robot to use those colors. But blue and orange will be the main 2 colors. Improving concentration is the main goal of our robot and according to this research blue should be able to help the users with this.

Questionnaire results

Question	Result 1	Result 2	Result 3	Result 4	Result 5
If the robot would make sounds (with no words) during my studying, I would find that distracting.	4.076923077/5
If the robot would show colored light(s) (without flickering) during my studying, I would find that distracting.	2.923076923/5
If the robot would have a voice and occasionally speak during my studying, I would find that distracting.	4.153846154/5
If the robot would vibrate occasionally during my studying, I would find that distracting.	3.923076923
First choice: Type of interaction with the robot	Physical interaction = 11 (42.3%)	phone App = 4 (15.4%)	laptop app = 1 (3.8%)	voice command = 10 (38.5%)
Second choice: Type of interaction with the robot	Physical interaction = 7 (26.9%)	phone App = 10 (38.5%)	laptop app = 8 (30.8%)	voice command = 1 (3.8%)
Third choice: Type of interaction with the robot	Physical interaction = 5 (19.2%)	phone App = 8 (30.8%)	laptop app = 10 (38.5%)	voice command = 3 (11.5%)
If the robot would have a personality, which type of personality would you prefer?	Extroverted submissive = 16 (61.6%)	Introverted submissive = 7 (26.9%)	Introverted dominant = 2 (7.7%)	Extroverted dominant = 1 (3.8%)
Which type of (facial) expression/emotion of the robot would you prefer? (You can choose multiple types!)	The eyes = 20 (77%)	The eyebrows = 15 (57.75)	A mouth = 14 (53.85%)	A voice = 11 (42.3%)	Movement = 10 (38.5%)	Sounds = 10 (38.5%)
What limitation/control of your phone usage are you most likely to accept?	The robot can detect if you use your phone and ask you to stop = 7 (26.9%)	The robot can put your phone on limited apps = 10 (38.5%)	voluntarily give your phone to the robot = 9 (34.6%)	The robot needs the phone to be locked away for it to function = 0 (0%)
What limitation/control of your phone usage would you be least likely to accept?	The robot can detect if you use your phone and ask you to stop = 2 (7.7%)	The robot can put your phone on limited apps = 7 (26.9%)	voluntarily give your phone to the robot = 3 (11.5%)	The robot needs the phone to be locked away for it to function = 14 (53.8%)

State-of-the-art

All of our research discussed min 25 papers

Isabel Human and robot interaction + already existing designs

Persuasive technologies

Planning

Approach and milestones

• how will we solve the problem?
• milestones per week

Week 1 Define functions needed Research functions and design aspects Week 2 Questionnaire for user input Sketch proposed design Week 3 Analyse questionnaire Sketch detailed design Create base simulation robot Week 4 Finalize simulation Start prototyping Week 5

Week 6 Finish prototype Week 7 Final video

Week 8 Final wiki

Planning table -who does what in which week etc -when is what done

Week	Okke Rikmenspoel	Christian Janssen	Richard van Loon	Ahmad Alsarakbi	Isabel Kuipers
Week1
Week2
Week3	robot description and research function	looking into simulation tools	looking into simulation tools	compile research and use cases	spread the questionnaire and look into the scenario
Week4	Research scheduling and its effect on motivation	weebots simulation aspects	weebots simulation aspects	weebots simulation aspects	design choices of the robot interactions
Week5
Week6
Week7
Week8

Worklog

Week 1

Name	Total [h]	Break-down
Okke Rikmenspoel	4.5	Meetings (3h), Research (1.5h)
Christian Janssen	5	Meetings (3h), Research (2h)
Richard van Loon	5	Meetings (3h), Research (2h)
Ahmad Alsarakbi	5	Meetings (3h), Research (2h)
Isabel Kuipers

Week 2

Name	Total [h]	Break-down
Okke Rikmenspoel	4.5	Meetings (2.5h), Research (2h)
Christian Janssen	6.5	Meetings (4h), Research (2h), Wiki (0.5h)
Richard van Loon	5	Meetings (4h), Research (0.5h), Planning (0.5h)
Ahmad Alsarakbi	6	Meetings (4h), Research (1h), Questionnaire (1h)
Isabel Kuipers	7	Research (1,5h), Questionnaire (2,5h), Sketch (1h), Wiki (2h), Meetings (4h)

Week 3

Name	Total [h]	Break-down
Okke Rikmenspoel	4	Robot description (2h), Meetings (2h)
Christian Janssen
Richard van Loon
Ahmad Alsarakbi
Isabel Kuipers

Deliverables

• wiki page
• simulated robot
• prototype (if possible)
• presentation

After the plan

• Researched functions chosen
• Questionnaire + results
• Design sketch + all the aspects explained
• Simulation explained
• Prototype shown and explained

References