SPOT-Ecosystem is a robot-infrastructure which supports the coexistence between human and robot in a highly densified city.
Compared to the transition of physical urban spaces that happened in the last 30 years caused by the implementation of computers, the change of the next 30 years caused by the robots is expected to be more radical: a wide scale range of artificial intelligence robots will actively roam around urban environments in high density. The conventional infrastructure should be recomposed, renovated or evolved to catch up with the new demands.
The same perspective regarding future city and robot infrastructure can be applied to the robot named SPOT entering Seoul, South Korea in 2021. At the moment a limited number of the robots have been activated in the industrial sector. But what if a sizable number of the robots get activated in a wider range of sectors which encompass personal and social spaces? What if 10 SPOT robots were applied in 100m length of a pedestrian zone in Gangnam-daero? The road will need an immediate answer for the spatial coexistence between humans and robots.
Project [SPOT-Ecosystem] aims to create a new robot-infrastructure to prepare a new reality we are going to face. Currently two versions have developed.
Version 1.0
1.0 - Principle 1 _ One layer among the multi-layer road infrastructure set up as a space for SPOT.
1.0 - Principle 2 _ In that space SPOT can be charged wirelessly.
1.0 - Principle 3 _ In that space SPOT can share information of urban environmental data via Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing system.
1.0 - Principle 4 _ In that space multiple SPOT units can communicate while being charged until the next assignment.
1.0 - Principle 5 _ The exterior of that space consists of Audio-Visual installations which can reinterpret the movement and sound of SPOT into a comforting way to overcome “The Uncanny Valley”.
Version 2.0
2.0 - Principle 1 _ A new staircase solely for SPOT installed in addition to the staircase for humans. This staircase is fireproof so that it protects robot units and lets them do the emergency missions in case of disaster.
2.0 - Principle 2 _ A new passage for SPOT installed in addition to the passage for humans. When SPOT is working on a mission for humans it can use the area where two passages meet with each other, and when SPOT is working on a non-human interacting mission it can use the isolated passage.
2.0 - Principle 3 _ A new staircase and passage consists of piezoelectric generators to convert the movement energy of SPOT into electricity for SPOT.
2.0 - Principle 4 _ A new staircase and passage consists of network modules which are used as a data infrastructure for SPOT.
2.0 - Principle 5 _ A new staircase and passage leads to a community zone for SPOT where multiple SPOT units can communicate while being charged until the next assignment.
2.0 - Principle 6 _ A new staircase and passage consists of informative lighting modules which are used as a device to illustrate information of SPOT units for the human users of space.