Perceptual design method for smart industrial robots based on virtual reality and synchronous quantitative physiological signals

Wangqun Xiao,Jianxin Cheng

doi:10.1177/1550147720917646

Abstract

In the research of industrial robot design, designing using only the perceptual thinking and creativity of an industrial designer or overemphasizing the intervention of quantitative data research in the field of emotional cognition is relatively one sided. In this article, research on how to combine the above two aspects effectively will be conducted. The aim is to present a design method which provides artistic creativity and scientific support for industrial robot design. Therefore, a method for representing perceptual image spaces of industrial robots through pictures and semantics by evaluating the perceptual images and using statistical approaches such as factor analysis will be proposed. Perceptual design elements of industrial robots are decomposed from the perspective of style and color. After the quantitative type I analysis, the numerical relationships between the semantics of images and design elements are identified. Also, a method for mapping relationships between the perceptual image spaces and design elements of industrial robots is developed. After three-dimensional modeling and simulation, the semantic difference methods are used in combination with the emotional evaluation and measurement methods for physiological experiments such as eye tracking, skin conductance, heart rate, and electroencephalography experiments with the aid of virtual reality. Finally, a perceptual design method is extracted for smart industrial robots based on virtual reality and synchronous quantitative physiological signals.

Highlights

In Asia, especially in Japan, the concept of ‘‘Kansei engineering’’ has been put forward for a long time
It can be initially inferred that in watching sampled industrial robots, respondents mostly concentrated on the following parts of the industrial robots: small arms, elbow joints connected to arms, and waist where the lower parts of upper arms were connected to the base
The extent to which parts of industrial robots on the pictures received the attention of the subjects, the industrial robots were zoned into several areas of interest (AOIs)

Summary

Introduction

In Asia, especially in Japan, the concept of ‘‘Kansei engineering’’ has been put forward for a long time. In both Japan and Korea, the ‘‘societies of Kansei engineering’’ have been established. European and American scholars summarize that these studies are about the ‘‘design and emotion.’’1 Pertinent theories include Kansei engineering theories developed by Japanese scholars and three-hierarchy theory brought forth by an American scholar, Donald Arthur Norman.[2] Researchers and scholars have proposed many product design methods or techniques about various product designs based on Kansei engineering. M Kajtaz et al.[5] proposed a personalized product design method for School of Art, Design and Media, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion