PERK Corp.

RoboBuddy
By Pranav Pannala, Evan Colendrander, Ryan Miller, and Kaleb Ryan
Project Mentors: Bethany Miller and Pieter Colenbrander
Brainstorming:
The first step for our project was to
brainstorm ideas.

In order to brainstorm our ideas, we

used Padlet to record our ideas and
initial research.
 Topic area we decided to focus on:

What are some issues people care about?

 Decline in development of social
skills in young children

The problem we
hope to solve with
our project:

"68% of parents think social media

affects their teen’s ability to
socialize in a normal manner."
Source:https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2020/09/58-percent-of-parents-think-social-media-has-a-net-neg
ative-effect-on-their-teens.html#:~:text=The%20survey%20found%20that%2068,approval%20because%20of%20soc
ial%20media.
 How will we address this issue?

Problem: Young children are currently growing

up without developing essential social skills
and manners.

Problem Definition: Increase children’s

education in social skills and manners through
the use of an interactive product.
Our Idea:

● We will develop a social skills development tool for children.

● Young children need to be able to develop key social skills.
● In quarantine especially, young kids who do not have many social
interactions still need a way to develop their skills.
● Our product will be able to address these issues.
Background Information:

● There is a company that is currently producing a similar product named

Moxie.
● The price for Moxie is $1699 plus additional subscription fees.
● We believe that we will not have to compete with Moxie because our idea
is to make a much less expensive and similar product compared to Moxie.
Market Research
Our Targeted
Audience: Young
Children and Parents What features do these groups want?
"Among parents of children ages 17 or ● Parents want their children to become social people and have
younger, “94% say they expect their friends
child (or children) to attend college”."
● Children enjoy fun activities
Source:https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2012/02/27/most-parents-ex ● Bright and vibrant colors appeal to children
pect-their-children-to-attend-college/
● "Colors affect the mood and emotions of children and have
"91% of parents say that parenting is significant impacts on the development of children."
their greatest joy"
Source:https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1424-national-parent-survey-o
verview-and-key-insights

This data tells us that parents will be

interested in a product that will better
educate and help their children. Source: https://sciencing.com/do-bright-colors-appeal-kids-5476948.html
How large is this market:

The combination of a large target demographic and the opportunity to have

little competition make this a realistic product. In 2017, there were 73.7 million
children under the age of 18 in the United States.
Source:https://www.childtrends.org/childtrends.org#:~:text=In%202017%2C%20there%20were%2073.7,63.7%20to%2074.1%20million%20children).
What is our
specific target? The best age range to consider for this product would be children under
the age of five. At this age the children are still developing their basic
skills and our product will be able to help them with this process. At this
age, the children are also not in school yet so parents will want to find
ways to start educating their children. However, the product should be
marketed towards the parents of these children as children would not
make purchases.

Source: ChildDevelopmentReview.com
 What do
consumers care Parents care about their children and value the
education that their children will receive. According
about? to research conducted by ZERO TO THREE in
2015, 91% of parents say that parenting is their
greatest joy proving that the development of young
children is a very important issue for parents in the
United States.
What are some issues we must consider?

● Some parents will prefer real human to human interactions. This is not currently safe with the
COVID-19 pandemic
● Some children prefer to be left alone
● Money can be an issue depending on the family
● Not all parents are willing to or able to spend money on a product like this
● "Children are born with different personalities. Some kids tend to be more comfortable with
friends and some are more comfortable on their own.”

Source:https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/managing-feelings/loneliness-sadness-isolation/my-child-likes-being-alone-does-this-mean-hes-lonely
Customer Survey:

One of the last steps to the first design stage is to conduct a customer survey.
Through our survey we hope to learn key information that will influence how we
decide to finalize our design.

Link to our survey:

https://tinyurl.com/6a66ev8l
Overview:

73 Responses: Age Range:

● 59 students ● 80.8% - 11-20

● 7 teachers ● 6.8% - 31-40
● 6 parents ● 5.5% - 21-30
● 3 other ● 2.7% - 41-51
● 2.7% - 61+
● 1.4% - 51-60
Privacy Concerns:
Specific Concerns:

“Gather personal information”

“I don’t like that they are always listening, like it's so easy for them to record”
“Built in microphones that are always on. But in reality, I really don’t care.”
“Their tracking, and constant recording even when not in direct use.”
“These devices collect a lot of data, and that data could be abused.”
“Personal info sold”
“Alexa recording personal/family related subjects, Alexa being hacked etc.”
Parent Feedback:
Future of Childcare:
Social Skills:
Specific Concerns:

● “I feel like kids can interact online but do not pick up on emotions or read people very well”
● “minors use the internet a lot and can barely communicate well with others don't understand the difference
between the real world and online communication”
● “A kid may think that online interactions are identical with those in real life, and behave accordingly.”
● “I think people only socialize on media and they will not have in person social skills.”
● “Children growing up in the digital age rely more on their screen and are most likely not as confident in
confronting social issues or going to social gatherings.”
● “I know so many people who don’t have social skills because they are just used to texting and snap
chatting people so they don’t know how to have a good in person conversation.”
● “It’s harder to read facial and body cues that really tell what a person is feeling and expressing.”
● “I have a big family and we have regular family dinners and they can't do anything without taking a picture
or they are always staring at the phone while having a conversation and sometimes just not socializing at
all”
What effect do you think quarantine has had on
children ages 2-5?

● “Missing many social skills. Especially in a group setting.”

● “takes away their social aspect of the learning and development stage.”
● “I think they are missing out on a lot of fun activities we usually all do as children.”
● “I think that it has greatly affected the nature of their childhood and has created a very different
assumption in their minds on how the world normally is.”
● “Stunting social development and educational growth”
● “They aren’t going to form social skills in kindergarten or preschool like they normally would and
will probably be more shy”
● “I have a two year old and a five year old next door to me and they've been inside for the majority
of quarantine. Before we were forced to go into quarantine, the two year old and five year old
used to be super duper extroverted but now. They're extremely shy, they aren't as talkative and
they're always hiding from people that isn't their parents.”
What social skills are essential for children to
learn?

● Manners
● Speaking and listening
● Kindness
● Respectful language
● Greeting and salutations
● How to start a conversation
● Polite
● Empathy and compassion
 19.9% - Other
How would your relationship be 27.5% - Unaffected
affected if the toy could interact and
communicate with you? 15.9% - Weakened

37.7% - Strengthened
What would you want this product to look like?

● Animal
● Robot
● Toy / playful item
● Colorful
● Cute / friendly
● NOT like an actual human
How much would you be willing to pay?

● 17 - Undecided
● 10 - Were not interested
● 17 - $1 - $99
● 19 - $100 - $499
● 5 - $500 - $999
● 5 - $1000+
Conclusions:

● Privacy will be an important issue for us to consider

● While some people are opposed to our idea, the majority of individuals
surveyed felt comfortable with this idea
● Many do not think robots will be the future of childcare so it is important to
still make the parent an important part of child development
● Many agree that current children are lacking in standard social skills
● Quarantine has negatively affected children’s social skills
● A demand for the product is present, the ideal price would be around a
couple hundred dollars
Design Features
Design Features:

● The product will be called the RoboBuddy.

● When children receive the product, they will be able to tell the RoboBuddy a name
that it will then respond to.
● "Research outlines four key areas that are needed for a child's product: durability,
uniqueness, holds attention, and emphasizes creativity or development"
● "Parents have a high appreciation for child products that promote imagination. In
addition, toys that fostered “communication, pretend play, and general
educational stimulation” were favored by parents."
Source:https://www.gutcheckit.com/blog/parents-weigh-in-the-most-sought-after-characteristics-when-it-comes-to-buying-toys-for-their-children/
Alternate Concepts Brainstorm:

Before finalizing our design choices, we can up with three possible design
choices to choose from:
Alternate Concept 1 Alternate Concept 2 Alternate Concept 3

Therapy robot for adults. Educational companion for Stationary robot educational
Looks like Amazon Alexa young children with companion without any
with an LCD display movable arms and a movable components.
resembling a face. movable head.
AI companion for those who
are lonely during
quarantine.
Concept 1:
Features: Components:

Includes a much more interactive face design

LCD Screen
More simplicity due to no moving parts
Company Logo
Easier design due to the rectangular shape
Product Name
More professional look
Adjustable screen to show emotion
Appeal better to older ages

More complicated to design the LCD display Box shaped case to hold the screen upright

Speaker and microphone for the consumer to interact Electronics housed inside of the casing
with the product
Power source

Microphone

Speaker

Arduino
Concept 2:
Components: Features:

Speaker and microphone components housed in the head Servos that allow motion for the head and arms

Two arms Speaker and microphone provides interactive features for the consumer

Three servos Arms that are able to move and wave for increased consumer enjoyment

Friendly shaped head Power source at the base of the robot for easy recharging access

Arduino board for the brains of the robot

Main robotic body to house and protect electronic components

Main body to house components

Head that rotates to give the robot more emotion and personality

Power source located at base of the body

Friendly looking face design

Concept 3:
Components: Features:

Fixed head No moving components with fixed arms and fixed head

Fixed arms Friendly robot shape to appeal to children

Friendly robot shape Speaker and microphone for the consumer to interact with

Speaker and microphone housed inside the head

Arduino board to control the product functions

Arduino board
Power source at the base of the robot with easy access for
recharging
Power source

Robot body houses the electronic components and provides

protection
We decided to use concept 2.
Project Demands: Project Wishlist:

● Speaker system ● Servos

● Microphone ● Uploading data
● Arduino ● Long battery life
● All components must be securely connected ● Rechargeable battery
● Low cost of production
● Project completion within 4 months
● Low retail price
● Must be tested and certified
● Head motion
● Soft exterior for child protection ● Arm motion
● Portability ● Approximate height between 1’ - 1.5’
● Easy for child use ● Manufacturer a full size prototype
● Device symmetry
● Plastic, electronics, and fabric materials
● Prototype the product
Classification Scheme
Functional Decomposition:
Project Proposal Report

The final step for the first design stage was to create a project proposal.
Our project proposal includes:
● Initial research
● Product functions and features
● Development process
● Graphics and links
● Source citations
● Signature verification page
Next Steps:

● Work on finalizing and testing the code for our product

● Create 3D models of possible designs for the robot
● 3D print the designs in order to build a prototype
● Test the prototype build
● Finalize design to adjust any required changes
● Prepare a presentation
Thank you.