HuggieBot 2.0 Gives Polite Robotic Hugs

Whether you’re away at college, or simply have family scattered throughout the country or even world, there are likely people you’d like to see and hug more. As reported by Tech Xplore, while it won’t bring those people physically closer to you, the HuggieBot 2.0 offers what may be the next best thing. This robot, inspired in part by Ph.D. student Alexis E. Block missing her family, features two robotic arms for hug giving, as well as sensors to help it know when it’s appropriate to end the embrace.

HuggieBot 2.0 uses a pair of JACO arms, normally attached to wheelchairs in order to simulate a human arm’s function. Here they are instead mounted to a custom metal frame. A monitor allows it to make human-like expressions, and a sweatshirt, mittens, and purple robe form a sort of non-robotic facade... almost as if it was dressed by current AI technology.

The robot employs computer vision to detect an approaching hugger, and initiates the embrace based on distance. To determine when the human participant is ending the hug, it uses an inflatable “HuggieChest” sensor package, which contains both a microphone and pressure sensor. This is read by an Arduino Uno, which passes info to the onboard computer that runs the system.

The eventual goal is to enable people to “send” customized hugs from one point to another, uniquely saying “hi” to someone that may be many miles away. Potentially this could even have some physiological benefits, which researchers aim to explore further. A new version, called HuggieBot 3.0 is currently in the process of being peer-reviewed.