Who Could Forget Tofu, the Adorable, Doe-Eyed Robot?

A couple years ago, Media Lab student Ryan Wistort SM ’10 embarked on a project to explore the intersection between robotic social expression and 2D animation technology. The result: Tofu, a squishable, squashable robot with OLED eyes and a fluffy, grapefruit-shaped body. Slice recently caught up with Wistort and asked him a few questions about his affable robot.

Slice:What led to the creation of Tofu?

In my mind design and engineering are very similar. This philosophy has lead me to a career in both robotics and design. At the MIT Media Lab I used both to explore the relationship between robotics and human interaction. Tofu began to take shape in my mind when I started asking myself how robots could be as lifelike and lovable as cartoon characters, and how such robots could be used.

Slice:Who was involved in the design and build process?

The Media Lab fabrication facilities and culture make it easy to go from napkin drawing to prototype very quickly. I designed and built Tofu after a couple months of prototyping different designs.

Slice:What are the potential educational applications for a robot like Tofu?

Tofu is designed to enable a suspension of disbelief for those interacting with it. A teddy bear is not alive, but therapists commonly find that abused children will discuss difficult issues with a teddy bear long before they would with an adult. Through suspension of disbelief, the teddy bear becomes "alive", and in this case, serves as a social proxy between the child and the therapist. Tofu is designed to play a similar roll of social proxy, but with a wider palette of expression. When children read to Tofu, parents or educators are not being replaced, but given a tool that enables children to read to a captive, non-judgmental listener. Similar applications could be generated for math and science curricula, various therapies, and literacy learning, to name a few.

Slice:What’s next for Tofu?

I believe entertainment is just scratching the surface of benefits robots like Tofu have to offer. I have designed an entire family of next generation robots like Tofu to bring the same benefits to a larger audience through education and media applications.

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