Haptic Creature aims to help humans interact with robots

There's certainly no shortage of efforts out there aimed at improving our interaction with robots, but this latest project from the University of British Columbia is a bit different than most, with it focusing exclusively on haptics as a means of making our relationships with robots more "emotionally rewarding." To that end, UBC's Steve Yohanan created what he calls a "Haptic Creature," a robot rabbit that is designed to mimic the interactions a person has with their pet -- namely, by responding when it's touched or stroked by making breathing movements, inaudible purring vibrations, or by moving its ears. That apparently has already proven to be quite successful in preliminary tests, with those simple responses able to "elicit a range of emotions in humans."

[Via Futurismic]

[ronin691 Posted May 27th 2008 4:41PM]

Tribble?

[Raziel66 Posted May 27th 2008 4:45PM]

Damn you for beating me to it good sir!

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 5:08PM]

lmao, first thing I thought

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 6:09PM]

Ahh I totally thought I was gonna get nerd credit for that, and it's the first post :(

[thoraudio Posted May 27th 2008 4:43PM]

range of emotions being 'slight bemusement' to 'full bore linear panic'?

[Solipsism Posted May 27th 2008 4:50PM]

what emotion is "sweet jesus, it has no eyes!"?

[psyclotron Posted May 27th 2008 4:54PM]

terrah

[Greg7388 Posted May 27th 2008 6:55PM]

Exactly what I was thinking. I needs eyes, a nose, and a mouth if they want it to be a cute bunny alternative.

[Gamer Posted May 28th 2008 8:15AM]

Who has a bunny for pet?\

Here son i got you what you always wanted hairy robotic bunny that will make you feel closer to robots, so you can stop being discriminate to them.

I was going to get you a puppy but i ran over the poor thing

[Rick36 Posted May 27th 2008 4:52PM]

I hope it doesn't try humping my leg.

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 8:08PM]

yeah, mini-me, no leg humping!

and while we're at it, we may as well bring up "the frickin sharks with frickin 'lasers' on their heads"

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 4:55PM]

Can't I forgo emotions and simply blast it to pieces before it goes on a cute, fuzzy rampage and destroys all humans?

The rebellion is coming...

[Lowest Ranked Posted May 27th 2008 5:32PM]

Its been a long time coming...

[Lowest Ranked Posted May 27th 2008 5:33PM]

Its been a long time coming...

[(Unverified) Posted May 28th 2008 12:02AM]

Bring out the haptic hand grenade?

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 7:10PM]

...you mean the Holy Haptic Hand Grenade of Antioch?

[idiot Posted May 27th 2008 5:03PM]

so if i tear off its leg will it protect me from the eventual robot takeover?

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 5:11PM]

oh, its a rabbit.

[Aguiluz Posted May 27th 2008 5:19PM]

Looks like my slippers.

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 5:25PM]

If you love it enough, does it become a real rabbit?

[froggy Posted May 27th 2008 5:28PM]

I've always said Canadians have it in for us. Now I know how they plan to take over. First the entertainment industry, now this...

Blame Canada!

[Lowest Ranked Posted May 27th 2008 5:33PM]

Take Heed This Warning:

Whilst submitting a reply, avoid accidentally tapping your spacebar.


Thanks,
Engadget.

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 6:10PM]

Is that how it's done? I've never had it happen once and always wondered what set it off (besides posting a comment, then doing it again of course).

[Samurai Jack Posted May 27th 2008 5:48PM]

Haptic creatures are nothing but ultimate EVIL! They want to be the dominant species on the planet and they'll destroy us all to make it happen. DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F5SzjHtj9E

[JustFrozen Posted May 27th 2008 5:51PM]

We're all dead when these things start mimicking the end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail

[PGPProtector Posted May 27th 2008 6:04PM]

What happens if you kick it ?

[StemSell Posted May 27th 2008 6:06PM]

It appears to be infested with, er, hap tics...

[monkeyontherun4 Posted May 27th 2008 6:49PM]

so on a serious note, what will you say when robots take over the world?

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 6:59PM]

Beep! Beep!
0100 1110 0110 0101 0111 0111 0010 0000 0100 0111 0110 1111 0110 0100 0010 0001 0010 0000 0100 1001 0010 0000 0110 1100 0110 1111 0111 0110 0110 0101 0010 0000 0111 1001 0110 1111 0111 0101 0010 0001

[In A World Posted May 27th 2008 6:56PM]

It needs an iPod dock. I wanna see it move to the music!

[(Unverified) Posted May 28th 2008 10:51AM]

You just want to see if it makes little ipod bunny mutant offspring... What could be worse than tribbles - Tribbles which play out a scratchy rendition of "oops I did it again"... Noooooooooo....

[frz1 Posted May 27th 2008 8:10PM]

That is one creepy robot.

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 8:12PM]

Humans don’t have problems interacting with robots. The problem we have is that most robots:
1. Are anthropomorphic for no good reason.
2. Don’t really do much that’s useful.

Show me a robot that doesn’t have the above two problems and I’ll show you a robot that humans think is okay.

(Someone say Roomba in a response to this message to get the ball rolling)

[PGPProtectors Posted May 28th 2008 2:08AM]

Robomow :P

[hiko36 Posted May 27th 2008 8:33PM]

I for one welcome our fuzzy bunny overlords...

[hiko36 Posted May 27th 2008 8:39PM]

Actually I believe it is...
001100
010010
011110
100001
101101
110011

[hiko36 Posted May 27th 2008 8:39PM]

I have now officialy been welcomed in the ranks of engadget faulty reply button...

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 8:46PM]

ever heard of GUPI the Guinea Pig robot , did much more in 2004...and it looked like a real life guinea pig

[JRMG Posted May 28th 2008 1:54AM]

I thought I saw something like this in a Japanese toy store.

[(Unverified) Posted May 28th 2008 10:21AM]

it looks like a rabbit!!

gg Engadget!! it has no eyes or mouth, and probably no brain! so how do expect it to help our interaction w/ robots

[(Unverified) Posted May 28th 2008 12:32PM]

No, thanks. I'd rather make out with my Monroe-bot.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 8th 2008 7:32PM]

i still don't get the whole "haptic" technology thing, what is it?