HUGHUG
HUGHUG
A CARING SOCIAL ROBOT
SOCIAL DISTANCE // PARENTING // INTIMACY // COMMUNICATION
When is the last time
did you HUG your loved ones?
When is the last time
did you HUG your loved ones?
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This project aims to design for the intellectual disabilities children and their families and nurses.
During the pandemic, children with intellectual disabilities are facing the crisis of getting mental and physical illnesses. Although ID children are not well-performing in IQ, they still feel the same emotion as every one of us. The pandemic situation limited the communication between their family and them, leading to depression and related health problems.
The design targeted to reduce the crisis of getting mental and physical illness by providing physical communication through design and technology.
INTRODUCTION
Special Education Schools in Hong Kong
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Visual Impairment
Hearing Impairment
Physical Disability
Intellectual
Disability
Social Development
This project is to research special education schools in Hong Kong. Among different special education schools, including visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical disability, intellectual disability, and social development school( Education Bureau Hong Kong, 2020), I had narrowed down to focus on the special schools for Intellectual Disability. This research aims to understand the daily life of students with intellectual disability and their families.
Levels of
Intellectual Disability
MILD
MODERATE
SEVERE
Simple Facts of ID
-
Incomplete development
-
Permanent Defect
-
Develop Limited potential with training
TARGET USERS
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Parents
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ID Children
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Nurses
The target users are the ID children living in the lifetime hostel, their parents, and also the nurses.
CURRENT ISSUES
During the pandemic, children with intellectual disabilities (ID) face the crisis of getting mental and physical illness due to not meeting their parents, and family members face to face. This situation limits the communication between them and their family, leading to depression and related health problems.
Under the coronavirus,
we must be separated and
unable to meet our loved ones.
SOCIAL DISTANCE
As the ID children are lived in
the lifetime hostel, the parents
cannot take care of or visit them for now.
PARENTING
When is the last time you hug
your loved ones? In the Asian culture, hugging is rare and people are shy to do it.
INTIMACY
Using body language and facial
expressions to communicate would be easier for the ID children to understand.
COMMUNICATION
USER JOURNEY
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Under the pandemic condition, the parents
cannot visit ID children who are living in
the lifetime hostel. This situation also increases the pressure on the nurses.
Mental and physical health problems have occurred in the ID children.
From the situation of not being able to get in touch with each other
due to the pandemic, HUGHUG with its functions could increase physical
interaction and help to comfort the ID
children and reduce the negative affections and health problems led by the social distance condition.
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With HUGHUG, they can have real-time visual and verbal communication and have an actual hug. The mobile app of HUGHUG can also support video calls and real-time communication.
SERVICE SYSTEM
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PRACTICE
Before the parents chat with their children, the Id children have to understand that HUGHUG will be their friend, but not their parents turned into HUGHUG. Therefore, the nurses have to practice using HUGHUG to play and communicate with the ID children to understand it is something like a TV or computer to help them communicate. This step can also increase the relationship be- tween the nurses and children.
ACTUAL USE
For the actual use, the parents can use HUGHUG to communicate with their children. HUGHUG provides functions of videocall, hugging, respond preset questions, recording audio, playing simple games, and training the muscles of the ID children.
The parents can communicate by using another HUGHUG, or using the app. With another HUGHUG, they can enjoy real-time interaction and communicate through body language. The sensors of HUGHUG would help to track and react and send the reaction to the other robots. The parents and ID children can enjoy their family time even if they are not together, and help them to meet and feel each other under the pandemic situation.
FEATURES
FEATURES OF HUGHUG
TOUCH
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SIGHT
HEARING
MECHANISM
SKETCHES
PRIMARY DESIGN OF HUGHUG
FORM DEVELOPMENT
I was doing more research on the form of the robot by testing the cushions and dolls in different stores. By dividing them into the standard of light and heavy, soft and hard, I decided to make a medium weight and half-soft and complex form, to create a comfortable and calming experience.
The form of HUGHUG is improved by the time of the project development, increasing the length of HUGHUG's arm and the shape of HUGHUG becomes a more sturdy and stable form, rather than a slimy shape.
USER TEST
During the test of forms of HUGHUG, different users have helped to test and feel the form of HUGHUg, and gives suggestions on it.
USER INTERFACE
HUGHUG also profiles other ways of communication without the HUGHUG social robot, which the parents and the nurses can connect with and take remarks through the HUGHUG app.
Functions including:
-Notes
-Searching
-Messages
-Settings
-Video call and control panel
-Goals and Targets
-Checklist
FACES OF HUGHUG
WE ALL NEED A HUG.
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