Chairbot

An exploration into Human Robot Interaction! I made initial prototypes for a Wizard of Oz controlled Chairbot with the Stanford DesignX Center for Design Research. Using Arduino and Raspberry Pi, I built a belt-driven, front-wheel drive chair that could be remote-controlled via wifi for prototyping human interactions with autonomous furniture.

The semi-autonomous chairbot tries to wake a friend. Wake up Nik!

Prototype 1

Prototype 1 used PVC pipe that would blend in with the color of the first chair I used. One of the goals for the project was that the chair would remain "one with it's chair-ness."

A different angle of Prototype 1

Prototype 1, Mounted

For prototype 2, I moved the wheels to be in line with the chair legs. the rear legs were supported by casters mounted on PVC "shoes."

Onboard Electronics

Early testing of remote-control capabilities with the Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and simple motor circuit.

Onboard Electronics

Raspberry Pi, Arduino, LiPo battery,

The chair supports the weight of a person - durability test #1 passed!

For prototype 3, I decided to explore a different chair. The foldable Terje IKEA chair allowed me to mount directly onto the legs and control the height and angle of the rear casters and front skate wheels. The final design involved belt-driven solution as pictured.

A semi-autonomous chair, almost ready for action. It's a shy little guy.