Cesar Vandevelde

Ghent University | UGhent · Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Product Design

With an increase in research and development of social robotics and commercial robots entering the market, there is a need for design tools that enable non-experts to design, build and use customized social robots. Human Computer Interaction researchers have a rich evolving tool-set when it comes to user-centered design. To encourage the use of use...

This paper describes the design of OTO, a do-it-yourself expansion kit for OPSORO (Open Platform for Social Robots), that enables and facilitates the creation of mobile social robots. The expansion kit consists of modular, adaptable building blocks combined with a software toolkit, and is aimed at applications within the maker community, STEM educa...

De voorbije jaren worden gekenmerkt door een verhoogde interesse in robotica, waarbij analisten steevast wijzen naar robotica als één van de volgende grote technologische trends. Dit is niet verrassend; de technologie werd gestaag verbeterd in de afgelopen decennia en bereikt nu uiteindelijk een kantelpunt waarop robots niet langer beperkt zijn tot...

One of the biggest obstacles to broader adoption of robotics is that only experienced roboticists can develop robotics applications. If we aim to have robots in our homes and offices, we need more tools and platforms that reduce the costs in both money and time. To address the current difficulties of designing custom social robots, we identify an o...

One of the chief obstacles in achieving wider acceptance of robotics is that only experienced roboticists can develop robotics applications. If we want robots in our homes and offices, we need more tools and platforms that reduce the costs of prototyping robots them, in terms of both time and money. The open-source paradigm offers a potential solut...

One of the chief obstacles in achieving wider acceptance of robotics is that only experienced roboticists can develop robotics applications. If we want robots in our homes and offices, we need more tools and platforms that reduce the costs of prototyping robots them, in terms of both time and money. The open-source paradigm offers a potential solut...

Paradigms such User Experience (UX) based design approaches, along with the rise of Tangible User Interfaces, can present hurdles for traditional product manufacturers. Industry collaboration with university potentially allows exploration with such emerging themes, while students are exposed to design challenges from industry. In this paper, we dis...

Building a robot from scratch in an educational context can be a challenging prospect. While a multitude of projects exist that simplify the electronics and software aspects of a robot, the same cannot be said for construction systems for robotics. In this paper, we present our efforts to create a low-cost do-it-yourself construction system for sma...

For some time now, robotics research has shifted its attention from robots that function within their own predefined space to robots that coexist with humans in the human's natural habitats. This evolution has not only driven interest in robot safety and compliance, it has also resulted in the subdomain of Social Robotics, which is concerned with n...

In this paper we introduce the Drum Duino, a type of tangible robotic musical instrument. The Drum Duino allows fun, playful interaction for children to compose and explore rhythms played on different objects , inspired by traditional methods of play, while emphasizing col-laborative participation. The device combines digital sequencing and program...

This paper describes the current status of Ono, an open source social robot that can be made using DIY tools and techniques. We believe that low-cost open source social robots provide advantages that current high-end robots do not have: they are well suited for large-scale studies and they are accessible for students and hobbyists. We describe the...

This document summarizes the research, remarks and conclusions of the ESF-project (European Social Fund) " Serious game as educational tool for safety and prevention ". An online playable version of the game can be found at http://sggo.howest.be/ The ESF-project was started at the AZ Groenigne hospital of Kortrijk, in cooperation with Howest univer...

One of the major obstacles in the study of HRI (human-robot interaction) with social robots is the lack of multiple identical robots that allow testing with large user groups. Often, the price of these robots prohibits using more than a handful. A lot of the commercial robots do not possess all the necessary features to perform specific HRI experim...

This paper aims to give an overview of technologies that can be used to implement robotics within an educational context. We discuss complete robotics systems as well as projects that implement only certain elements of a robotics system, such as electronics, hardware, or software. We believe that Maker Movement and DIY trends offers many new opport...

One of the major obstacles in the study of HRI (human-robot interaction) with social robots is the lack of multiple identical robots that allow testing with large user groups. Often, the price of these robots prohibits using more than a handful. A lot of the commercial robots do not possess all the necessary features to perform specific HRI experim...