‘MoleBot’: An Organic User-Interface-Based Robot That Provides Users with Richer Kinetic Interactions

We introduce a new type of organic user interface that displays a 3D robotic creature, ‘MoleBot’ to provide a ludic experience inspired by traditional board games. To ensure fluid motions of the molehills cast by the ‘MoleBot’, the table surface combines horizontal rigidity with the vertical flexibility of over 15,000 movable pins. Users are enabled to kinetically interact with this creature via a joystick or gestural commands. We conducted user study sessions with 12 participants and classified the observed spontaneous play activities into 4 distinct categories: (1) enjoying simple ludic experience, (2) competing in skills, (3) mimicking realworld sports and (4) playing with a companion. In addition, a focusgroup interview with six video scenarios was conducted to explore the idea of potential applications and it was suggested that the ‘MoleBot’ can be used in interactive board-gaming environments and kinetically informative tabletops.