Co-Designing Companion Robots for the Wild: Ideating Towards a Design Space

Abstract

Autonomous systems such as robots are permeating our daily lives increasingly every day, which are now adorned with social elements, bringing them closer to synthetic companions. While used in fields like well-being, education, guidance, and entertainment, companion robots also hold great potential for outdoor uses, particularly accompanying people in the wild with numerous potential benefits. However, current studies lack a comprehensive understanding of the possible uses, functions, and behavior of companion robots outdoors. To explore this area, we have run a co-design study consisting of 5 design workshops with 30 participants, including interaction designers, product development experts, engineers, robotics experts, and frequent forest goers. The study resulted in nine valuable design themes, transferred into five design concepts, which were then interpreted into a comprehensive design space that can be leveraged by designers and researchers in creating companion robots for the wild.