Cuddle Fish – A Soft Floating Robot for Safe Physical Interaction
17 days ago
- #soft-robotics
- #human-robot-interaction
- #robotics
- Flying robots, especially quadrocopter drones, pose safety concerns due to fast-spinning propellers and rigid structures.
- Cuddle-Fish is a soft floating robot that uses helium and flapping wings instead of propellers, making it safe for human interaction.
- The robot's design allows people to touch, pat, stroke, and even hug it without risk of injury.
- A study with 24 participants showed spontaneous positive interactions, suggesting potential for companionship and therapeutic uses.
- The flapping-wing mechanism provides propulsion and creates an organic visual presence with minimal noise.
- Cuddle-Fish is designed for indoor environments, addressing space limitations and safety concerns.
- Potential applications include companionship, affective interaction, and therapeutic settings.
- This work highlights the viability of lighter-than-air flapping-wing robots as an alternative to conventional drones for indoor human-robot interaction.
- The robot's soft materials, helium lift, and bioinspired propulsion make it safe and approachable.
- Cuddle-Fish demonstrates that aerial robots can engage in close physical interaction when designed with safety and approachability in mind.