This project consists of redesigning and developing an improvotype —an improvisable robotic platform— by reusing one of the KUKA iDo robots donated to the university. The goal is to create a modular, flexible, and reprogrammable robot that can be used for different applications.
The project follows the Research Through a Design approach, exploring the design space through state-of-the-art, expert focus groups and iterative prototyping. The robot will be based on an existing platform, which will be modified by redesigning parts of its hardware and software to make it more adaptable and expandable.
The final robot base will support autonomous, semi-autonomous, and puppeteered control, making it useful for experiments in fields like theatre and healthcare. By using improvisation and puppeteering techniques from the theatre, the project aims to improve how social robots are designed.
In the end, the goal is to have a sustainable and reusable research platform that allows fast prototyping and continuous improvements. The system will be tested through prototypes, co-design sessions, and simulated real-world applications, making it a useful tool for future research projects.
