Abstract:

Decades of research into intelligent, playful technology and user-friendly man-machine interfaces has provided important insight into the creation of robotic systems and intelligent interactive systems which are much more user-friendly, safer and cheaper than what appeared possible merely a decade or two ago. This is significantly disrupting the industry in several market sectors. This talk describes the components of the playware and embodied artificial intelligence research that has led to disruption in the industrial robotics sector, and which points to the next disruption of the health care sector and other application areas. The disruption is based on awareness of playful robotics, LEGO robots for kids, minimal robot systems, user-friendly, behavior-based, biomimetic, modular robotics and intelligent systems. The insight into these components and the use in synthesis for designing robots and intelligent systems allows anybody, anywhere, anytime to use these systems, providing an unforeseen flexibility into the sectors, which become disrupted with these systems. Indeed, with recent technology development, we become able to exploit robotics and modern artificial intelligence (AI) to create playware in the form of intelligent hardware and software that creates play and playful experiences for users of all ages. Such playware technology acts as a play force which inspires and motivates people to enter into a play dynamics, in which they forget about time and place, and simultaneously become highly creative and increase their skills - cognitive, physical, and social skills. The Playware ABC concept will allow you to develop life-changing solutions for anybody, anywhere, anytime through building bodies and brains to allow people to construct, combine and create. The talk will exemplify this with the modular system of Moto Tiles that are based on the Playware ABC and used globally by seniors and patients for playful training and rehabilitation of their physical functional abilities and cognitive skills. While the seniors are having fun and joy when playing, clinical trials in the form of randomized controlled trials quantify that there is a high and fast effect on the physical and cognitive skills of seniors/patients when playing, in this case on the Moto Tiles.

• Biography:

Professor Henrik Hautop Lund is World Champion in RoboCup Humanoids Freestyle 2002, and has produced more than 200 scientific publications. He has developed shape-shifting modular robots, presented to the emperor of Japan, and has collaborated closely on robotics and AI with companies like LEGO, Kompan, BandaiNamco, Mizuno for the past two decades. He has developed technical skill enhancing football games and global connectivity based on modular playware for townships in South Africa for the FIFA World Cup 2010 (together with footballers Laudrup and Hoegh). Three decades of scientific studies of such playware in the form of playful robotics, LEGO robots for kids, minimal robot systems, user-friendly, behavior-based, biomimetic, modular robotics lead Prof. Lund’s students to form the Universal Robots company, which disrupted the industrial robotics sector, and recently was sold for 285 million USD and has grown to one of the largest robotics company in the World with >1,000 employees. Also, Prof. Lund’s other research projects has led to spin-out of successful companies such as Shape Robotics, Tinyfarms, and Entertainment Robotics to name a few. Together with international pop star and World music promoter Peter Gabriel, he has develop the MusicTiles app and MagicCubes as a music 2.0 experience to enhance music creativity amongst everybody, even people with no initial musical skills whatsoever, and used for stage performance during Peter Gabriel’s tour. He has invented the patented modular interactive tiles (www.mototiles.com) for playful prevention and rehabilitation, which are implemented in large numbers amongst elderly globally. ​

Speaker: Dr. Hoang Pham, Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.