Gobug
Beatbots LLC / Case Study / Lead Industrial Designer / 2013
ABOUT
Gobug is remote controlled research robot designed to facilitate social interaction for children with autism. It has received industry recognition in both, research and design fields; first prize in the Autism Speaks Autism Connects International Design Competition and the Core 77 Design Award for Social Impact. Gobug prototypes have been tested in pilot studies at the Yale Child Study Center.
While studying abroad at Northumbria University, Greg worked with Tom Rim to conceptualize Gobug. Early in the process, Greg and Tom worked closely with occupational therapists, and conducted observations in the field. They noticed one therapist using a toy called the Zoom Ball to promote collaborative play. Essentially, the game has two users hold the ends of ropes which are looped though a ball. As participants widen and close their arms, the ball zips back and forth. The more in-sync the users are, the faster the ball goes, and theoretically, the more fun they have. Gobug is designed on these same principles. Users control the motion of Gobug via direction sensitive controllers. Like Zoom Ball, controllers must be working in conjunction to get the device moving in a desired direction. The more aligned the controllers are, the faster Gobug goes. See the following scenarios as examples:
If both controllers point straight, Gobug will move forward at top speed
If one controller points left, and the other right, Gobug takes the median direction, straight, and moves forward at its slowest speed
If both controllers point right, Gobug will move right
Gobug was eventually prototyped by Katz and Dr. Michalowski at Beatbots.
