Ritual Companion

Project Description

SMC’s IxD program switched to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the stay-at-home order so we broke up into small teams for a project that combined aspects drawn from two of our classes–Product Design and Interaction Design Studio. My team designed a small portable companion intended for retirees, that emits feedback based on user attention/touch interaction. The interaction helps pull users out of the mundane through play, touch, and environment augmentation in order to promote positive and meaningful rituals.

Problem

Many elderly people struggle with loneliness and isolation, with nearly one out of three older Americans now living alone. Persistent deficits in emotional nourishment can cause mortality in older men and women.

Insights

Companion animals can meet some physical, emotional, behavioral and social needs, but some retirees can’t keep a living pet. Many sources point to the importance of private rituals and routines that involve sleep schedules, sensory experiences, mindfulness and creative distraction.

Solutions

The ritual companion expresses emotion by changing color, vibrating, swiveling, changing ear positions, making noises and eye expressions. Emotions reinforce the bond between user and bot. Emotions are triggered by AI, sensors and programming. The bot arrives with a basic set of emotions, but reveals special emotions and display animations as it forms a unique personality shaped by owner interactions. Display animations are ambiguous task prompts which the owner can attempt to satisfy, e.g., an animation of the bot companion hopping around might lead an owner to pick up the bot and carry it outside for a walk, which would result in joyful feedback. The experience, while similar to a human-pet relationship, is designed to motivate the user to repeat positive rituals in order to alleviate the effects of isolation.