pOLI
2016 - 2017
CROSSFUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION
TEAM: Socially Intelligent Machines Lab (Andrea Thomaz & team), University of Pennsylvania Design (Carla Diana & student support), Soft Shell Designer (Amy Stoltzfus)
Poli was deployed as a non-patient facing assistant to medical staff at Seton Medical Center Austin. Although interactions are reserved for nurse engagement, retrieving lab samples and retrieving supplies, it is imperative patients feel comfortable with a non-human moving throughout their floor. Shapes and materials formed key physical attributes, contributing to soft, unobtrusive, gentle curvatures, and color to identify tracking mechanisms. The skeletal infrastructure provides supported shaping within the garment itself and access features within seams are situated in the front and back for internal maintenance and repairs.
Iterative intensive process defining amiable electronics housing with simplified, sleek bottle-shape cover to reduce concerns with unintended physical encounters.
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Poli retrieving nurse supplies, grasping and gently placing items into their basket to transport to different locations along their programmed route.