Wed 29 Jan 2025, 13:30-15:30
1-hour talk followed by networking
Large Seminar Room
Level 5, Becket House
Creating an Empathetic “Pet” Capable of Singing with Soft Robotics By Prof Patricia Alessandrini, Haute École de Musique et Conservatoire de Lausanne
Patricia presented her current project, the creation of a soft robotic “pet” which reacts empathetically to biosensor data and is capable of singing in response. The creature-pet will use a “tentacle” to collect biodata using pulse and GSR sensors. It will then breathe in tandem with the participant providing the data and also vocalise according to the data. The vocalisation will be produced through a system replicating the vocal folds and vocal tract, developed in collaboration with Marie Tricaud and Konstantin Leonenko. Soft robotics will be used to dynamically control the vocal formants. The creature-pet will also have expressive movement controlled using the STIFF-FLOP model developed at King’s College London. This is capable of providing transitions between stiff and soft states, and is most often used in surgical research.
Special thanks to Prof Elaine Chew for linking the CDT with Prof Alessandrini.