View Proposal

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Proposer

Minja Axelsson

Title

Exploring Foundation Models for Rapid Design Prototyping of Social Robots and Embodied AI

Goal

Design, develop, and evaluate a rapid design prototyping application for social robots and/or embodied AI.

Description

Social robots and embodied AI such as toys and pets are being designed and developed for various use cases, including wellbeing, education, and companionship. Design processes for these technologies are continuously evolving. This project aims to critically examine whether Foundation Models can be helpful in the design process, and if so, how. For instance, Foundation Models such as LLMs and VLMs could be used to support designers in initial prototyping of embodied AI appearance, behaviour, or interactions, which are tailored for specific use cases. The final outcome of this project will be a web app, which can be used by designers for design prototyping embodied AI, and may integrate elements of Foundation Models. The web app could be used for embodied AI design prototypes such as sketches, storyboards, or conversational interactions.

Resources

Background

[1] Tsakalerou, M., Akhmadi, S., Balgynbayeva, A., & Kumisbek, Y. (2026). AI-assisted design synthesis and human creativity in engineering education. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 9, 1714523. [2] Axelsson, M., Oliveira, R., Racca, M., & Kyrki, V. (2021). Social robot co-design canvases: A participatory design framework. ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction (THRI), 11(1), 1-39.

Url

Difficulty Level

Variable

Ethical Approval

Full

Number Of Students

2

Supervisor

Minja Axelsson

Keywords

design, foundation models, robotics, hci, hri

Degrees

Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence
Master of Science in Human Robot Interaction
Master of Science in Robotics
Bachelor of Science in Computing Science
Bachelor of Engineering in Robotics