Goo-y: A Robot’s Shape-Changing Capability for Fast, Non-Anthropomorphic Communication with People (and Animals)

Effective interaction with robots relies heavily on their ability to convey their purpose and intentions. While people are familiar with communication methods like (human) speech, this may lead to unnecessary anthropomorphisation or deception. On the other hand, robot-specific signals such as movements or colours are often difficult to interpret. Drawing inspiration from interspecies communication and animation principles offers a broader design space for creating expressive, easily understood signals through shape-changing capabilities. We detail the development of a shape-changing capability for a robot to support non-anthropomorphic, visceral communication. Starting with a virtual reality study to gauge people’s responses to various shape-changing behaviours, followed by developing a full-scale version suitable for standard robotic platforms and in-situ experimentation. This low-cost, easy-to-build capability opens new possibilities for researchers in human-robot interaction by making shape-changing technology accessible to the CHI research community.