FLEX-SDK: An Open-Source Software Development Kit for Creating Social Robots

Title of the Paper

FLEX-SDK: An Open-Source Software Development Kit for Creating Social Robots

Paper Information

• Domain: Social Robot Development Tools
• Keywords: Human-Computer Interaction, End-User Programming, Personalization, Rapid Prototyping, Open Source, Social Robots, User Interface Programming, Robot Programming Tools
• Conference: The 35th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST 2022)
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3526113.3545707

Research Background and Problem

• Issues and Challenges:
  • The application of social robots is rapidly increasing, but the development threshold remains high.
  • Developing social robot applications requires specific hardware platforms and complex programming tools, limiting broader societal applications.
• Significance:
  • Lowering the development threshold for social robots can promote their adoption in fields such as education and healthcare.
  • Simplified programming tools can help expand the developer community, fostering creative applications.
• Motivation and Related Work:
  • Commercial robots on the market are often tied to specific programming tools, limiting flexibility.
  • Previous research has primarily focused on tools developed for existing robot platforms (e.g., NAO robots, Pepper robots), lacking open and general solutions.
  • This work aims to fill this gap by providing an open, user-friendly social robot development toolkit for users without programming experience.

Solution

• Proposed Method/Solution:
  • FLEX-SDK: A browser-based open-source development toolkit that transforms two tablets into a social robot.
  • Includes the following functional modules:
    • Face design tool (FaceEdit) and input/output screen design tool (IOEdit)
    • Wizard-of-Oz control interface
    • Text programming tools and virtual robot renderer
• Innovations:
  • Eliminates dependency on specific hardware, offering high portability.
  • Separates content creation (e.g., face design and screen interaction) from robot programming, catering to users with varying technical expertise.
  • Enables users to quickly test and iterate designs without requiring in-depth robot programming knowledge.
• Implementation Steps and Key Technologies:
  1. Robot Appearance Design:
     • Use the FaceEdit tool to design robot faces, adjusting features such as eyes and mouth.
     • Provides 28 customizable facial parameters.
  2. Interactive Interface Design:
     • Use the IOEdit tool to create input/output screens, supporting elements like text, sliders, and buttons.
  3. Programming and Control:
     • Offers a JavaScript-based API, allowing users to write complex programs for interactive automation.
     • The WoZ tool supports real-time robot control.
  4. Real-Time Database Support:
     • Utilizes Firebase for data storage and communication between tools.

Research Outcomes

• Main Results:
  • Demonstrated that FLEX-SDK can quickly create various social robots, independent of hardware platforms.
  • Supports programming novices (including students and participatory designers) in designing and developing social robots.
  • Shows significant potential applications in fields such as mental health and education.
• Advantages:
  • Significantly lowers the development threshold for social robots.
  • Supports rapid prototyping, reducing hardware purchase and software learning costs.
  • The tool's intuitive design is suitable for diverse user groups, including those without technical backgrounds.
• Experiment and Evaluation Results:
  • Showcased nine case studies covering experimental research, participatory design, and educational outreach activities:
    • Robots were compared across different interaction methods (e.g., mental health support, educational activities).
    • Users designed robot faces using FaceEdit, quickly generating diverse robots for various application domains.
    • Participants showed high acceptance of the tool, with even untrained users finding it easy to use.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Currently lacks support for more complex perception tasks (e.g., camera and microphone inputs).
  • User programming scenarios are relatively simple, with JavaScript's programming potential not yet fully explored.
  • Future work should enhance the system's autonomous perception capabilities and optimize the integration between content creation and programming.

Conclusion

FLEX-SDK reduces the technical barrier for social robot development through open-source, modular design and a highly user-friendly interface, contributing significantly to research and applications in the field of human-computer interaction. Future expansions may cover more application scenarios, further enhancing the system's capabilities and flexibility.