Keywords

computer science and library partnership, telematics, humanoid robot, Pepper robot, self-employed library assistant, user centered library, service design

Description

Robots are common practice in industrial production, where they already control production processes. In many hospitals they support medical staff during complicated operations. There are robots in some libraries, that support the time-consuming process of inventory. However, in general libraries have been a rather unusual place for introducing robot applications so far and especially humanoid robots are still more than unusual in public nowadays. Can humanoid robots be useful in daily life? What makes sense and what is just technical gimmick? For almost two years, the Technical University of Applied Sciences in Wildau has owned two so called Pepper robots1. Pepper is a human-shape robot. It is about 1.20 meters tall and weighs 28 kilograms (60 lb). Pepper is well equipped, highly versatile and can be programmed for specific needs. The model Pepper was launched in 2014 by the French- Japanese company Softbank Robotics Corporate as a genuine day-to-day companion for human beings. It has been available in Europe since September 2016. In Wildau, the RoboticLab Telematics, together with the library team, is experimenting with Pepper to be used as a self-employed library assistant to help visitors and to support the staff of the library. How does the printer work? Where do I find my book? Can you explain the facilities of the library to me? Pepper helps out as a charming new attraction of the university library in Wildau. In this paper, the steps necessary to transform a brand-new Pepper robot into a library assistant for the library at TH Wildau are discussed2. Furthermore, first experiences are provided. Some of them were very unexpected.

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Roboter ante portas? About the deployment of a humanoid robot into a library

Robots are common practice in industrial production, where they already control production processes. In many hospitals they support medical staff during complicated operations. There are robots in some libraries, that support the time-consuming process of inventory. However, in general libraries have been a rather unusual place for introducing robot applications so far and especially humanoid robots are still more than unusual in public nowadays. Can humanoid robots be useful in daily life? What makes sense and what is just technical gimmick? For almost two years, the Technical University of Applied Sciences in Wildau has owned two so called Pepper robots1. Pepper is a human-shape robot. It is about 1.20 meters tall and weighs 28 kilograms (60 lb). Pepper is well equipped, highly versatile and can be programmed for specific needs. The model Pepper was launched in 2014 by the French- Japanese company Softbank Robotics Corporate as a genuine day-to-day companion for human beings. It has been available in Europe since September 2016. In Wildau, the RoboticLab Telematics, together with the library team, is experimenting with Pepper to be used as a self-employed library assistant to help visitors and to support the staff of the library. How does the printer work? Where do I find my book? Can you explain the facilities of the library to me? Pepper helps out as a charming new attraction of the university library in Wildau. In this paper, the steps necessary to transform a brand-new Pepper robot into a library assistant for the library at TH Wildau are discussed2. Furthermore, first experiences are provided. Some of them were very unexpected.