Social Robots and Active Appliances

This chapter covers the many attempts by science goal advocates to build social robots over hundreds of years, which have attracted widespread interest. At the same time, active appliances, mobile devices, and kiosks are widespread consumer successes. Innovation goal champions prefer designs that are seen as steerable instruments, which increase flexibility or mobility, while being expendable in rescue, disaster, and military situations. The combined design could be to start with human-like services which have proven acceptance, such as voice-operated virtual assistants. These services could be embedded in active appliances which give users control of features that are important to them. Innovation goal thinking also leads to better than human performance in active appliances, such as using 4-wheeled or treaded robots to provide the mobility over rough terrain or floods, maneuverability in tight spaces, and heavy lifting capacity. Active appliances can also have superhuman sensors, such as infrared cameras or sensitive microphones, and specialized effectors, such as drills on Mars Rovers and cauterizing tools on surgical robots.