Gobot: A Novel Shoe-Integrated Robot for Enriching Walking Experiences
Xuezhu Wang, Xun Cui, Ruilin Xiong, Yao Lu, Peizhong Gao · 2024
This paper discusses Gobot, an on-shoe robot companion, aimed at augmenting the walking experience. Gobot utilizes emotional interaction and micro-haptic feedback to add an element of interactivity to everyday walking. Distinct from typical smart shoes that primarily concentrate on health and fitness aspects, Gobot's focus extends to emotional communication and companionship. It features four emotional states-nervous, happy, angry, and normal-which it expresses by adjusting shoelace tightness and light color changes. Additionally, Gobot explores a new method of tactile interaction for foot-based robotics, aiming to expand the application of such technology in enhancing user experience.