Rovables, pocket-sized wearable robots, USA

Rovables: Miniature On-Body Robots as Mobile Wearables
Artem Dementyev, Hsin-Liu (Cindy) Kao, Inrak Choi, Deborah Ajilo, Maggie Xu, Joseph A. Paradiso, Chris Schmandt, Sean Follmer

UIST 2016: Proceedings of the 29th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software & Technology

Abstract:
We introduce Rovables, a miniature robot that can move freely on unmodified clothing. The robots are held in place by magnetic wheels, and can climb vertically. The robots are untethered and have an onboard battery, microcontroller, and wireless communications. They also contain a low-power localization system that uses wheel encoders and IMU, allowing Rovables to perform limited autonomous navigation on the body. In the technical evaluations, we found that Rovables can operate continuously for 45 minutes and can carry up to 1.5N. We propose an interaction space for mobile on-body devices spanning sensing, actuation, and interfaces, and develop application scenarios in that space. Our applications include on-body sensing, modular displays, tactile feedback and interactive clothing and jewelry.

Rovables: Miniature On-Body Robots as Mobile Wearables

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Outfit missing that final touch? Try Rovables: pocket-sized robots that live on your clothes

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