Growbot is the interactive half of a system which system teaches children positive values, such as responsibility, patience, and care, by encouraging and guiding them to take care of a plant. The Growbot monitors the health of the plant and when the plant has particular needs, such as water or light, the Growbot nudges the child to complete these actions. If the child successfully takes care of the plant over a long period of time, the [other half of the integrated system] Growall will being more intricate to positively reinforce the child’s actions.
Though built hastily for the final project in DEA 6210 Architectural Robotics, the Growbot was successful at demonstrating its capability as an interactive agent in teaching a child to care for a plant. Work on the Growbot will continue outside of the scope of its original assignment to bring the design from its current concept demonstration state to a more functional state.
Detailed documentation of Growbot’s design can be found here.