Summary: SciVestor conducted a study of Human Robot Interactivity between Pleo, the robotic dinosaur from Ugobe, and a group of middle school students. Consistently, the children identified Pleo as a pet more so than a toy, and most suggested a high propensity to own one. The survey also identified a wide set of Pleo behaviors that the study group saw as desirable. SciVestor forecasts that a number of these capabilities could be provided by third party developers if they are not embraced by Ugobe directly.

Findings: Results to the following survey questions are discussed in this report
• Do you own an iPod?
• Do you own a robot?
• If so, describe the robot.
• What is your favorite class?
• Would you describe Pleo as a pet, toy, or robot?
• Does Pleo seem more like a boy, girl, or neither?
• Which would you choose? Pleo or a cat?
• Which would you choose? Pleo or a dog?
• How does turning off Pleo make you feel?
• Have you ever seen anything like Pleo before?
• What would you like to teach Pleo?

Cost: $149 USD

Author: Ray Renteria
Date: February 2008
Length: 3 pages
Research ID: 08R-001
Concepts Discussed: Pleo, Ugobe, Human Robot Interaction, HRI, Rodney Brooks, robots as pets, survey results, 11 - 12 year old children, Life OS