Social Robots in Zero Gravity

Can we enable social connectivity between astronauts and people on Earth through an embodied agent?

2018
MIT Media Lab
USA
#HCI #UX/UI Design
︎ Completed

Motivation

Astronauts actively communicate with relatives and loved ones on Earth through several forms of digital and voice communication, including phone calls, video conferencing, and email. Despite this myriad of channels and their affordances, experiences in space are often described as isolating. Shortcomings of these modes of communication lie in their inability to translate emotion effectively, failure to facilitate shared experiences, lack of physical feedback, and the resulting perceived lack of control. The psychological effects of these limitations can become heightened over time, and peak during moments when the family on Earth is in need of support. As space becomes more accessible, it is important to consider how we design for social connectivity between people on Earth and in space.

Up: social robot interaction while in zero gravity during a parabolic flight
Lower left: experimental setup onboard parabolic flight. Jibo robot, tablet, Wi-FI hub, GoPro cameras, computer.
Lower right: working on video collection for experimental setup.Credit: Steve Boxall

What we did

We designed an experiment and deployed it at a Zero G flight through the MIT Space Initiative. The experiment consisted of a series of interactions mediated by a robot character. This agent delivered a series of cognitive, creative, and social tasks unknown to the subject. Throughout these interactions, we collected physiological data including Electrodermal Activity (EDA), heart rate, and skin conductance among others, to determine the effects each of these interaction had in the subject. This information helps us design interactions that better convey the emotional character of social connection throughout the astronaut’s experiences.