Preliminary Questions, Second Demo

Question:

How do people react to the Scribbler robots? What do people with various levels of programming experience want to do with the robots?

Hypothesis:

We think that people with previous programming experience or a strong interest in robotics will be more likely to participate in the demonstrations, and that attracting people who are not already interested in robotics will be difficult. We also believe that interest in the Scribblers will grow as participants spend more time interacting with them. Finally, we think that most people will want to see the robots interact with each other and work together.

Procedure:

We are going to set up a booth on the USC campus where we can display the Scribblers and showcase their numerous abilities. We will have different demonstrations happening at once so participants can easily interact with the robots. For example, Michael could be running his ball-chase program, Mirza could be drawing complex patterns, Chelsea could play music, and Francesca could run an obstacle course.

We will try to attract participants to the booth, and ask them a few questions before and after they interact with the robots. Beforehand, we will ask if they have knowledge of programming or robotics and their level in school (elementary, middle, high, university, graduated). Then, we will encourage them to play with the robots and try the different activities so we can observe their behavior. Afterward, we will ask them what else they would like to see the robots do and what their favorite activities were.