A key project I am working on as part of borobo ltd. is the konpanion brand. Alexandre and I have formed borobo to work and develop novel concepts in a cross-domain approach to link interior design and robotics. In 2020 we have written a first paper about the design of a new social robotic platform we are working on, the Maah.

The Maah is a non-zoomorphic social robot that tries to move away as much as possible from classical social robots and humanoid robots to present and explore the capabilities and basic functions needed for creating a social/engaging and lasting relationship with a robotic artefact. Our first robot in that realm is a Maah, which is a low-cost 3D printed companionship robot.

The Maah has seen some massive changes over the last two years we secretly work on it which we will write up soon and I will go into detail in follow-up posts. As the Maah focuses on design aspects and ai exploration it presents an interesting perspective on the domain. Two small examples to emphasise this are the unusual body shape and the resulting movement, secondly even though what is currently visible in only the skeleton of the Maah which will be hidden from the user, form and function should go hand in hand. In May 2020, I spent some time on cleaning up the inside of the Maah, thus, the wires are braided and routed for a cleaner and easier to maintain layout.