Last week we were at HRI23 in Stockholm with Navel. This international conference is the most important in the field of Human-Robot Interaction. Many renowned researchers were there and looked at and reviewed Navel with a critical eye.
I am happy to say that everyone was very enthusiastic about Navel. Most of them already know it from our website. But many pointed out that in real life the impression is even stronger than expected.
In particular, the special eyes are a unique selling point. In direct comparison with other well-known social robots, which were also at the conference, the unique effect of the three-dimensional high-contrast and vivid eyes became particularly clear. And we all know how important good eye contact is for building social relationships.
Another important distinguishing feature mentioned was the lively movement of the head, facial expressions and eyes, which make a very natural and sympathetic impression. We provide this standard behavior directly as a behavior library in Python.
We connected GPT to Navel in addition to our RASA dialog system, so that the researchers could experience the fascinating new technology live. It was also surprising for many that it was possible to have a fairly fluid dialog with Navel despite the enormous volume in the exhibition rooms. Our microphone array with 7 individual microphones helps a lot here under such difficult conditions.
The researchers are looking forward to when Navel can be delivered to them from summer on.
