A Minglebot is an embodied robot designed to cause people to socialize with each other more than they would otherwise. This requires that the Minglebot influence one person entirely through another, by prompting the first to contact the second. To be a Minglebot, a robot must fulfill three requirements: It must be physically embodied. It must be autonomously socially active. It must facilitate social interaction between others. This is a departure from most robotic projects, because ideally, people will stop interacting with the robot in favor of each other. Fortunately, our robot was so limited that this didn't present a problem.
What is a Minglebot?
For a quick summary of our project and its results, head to the right. To learn how we built our Minglebot, and how you can build your own, head downwards.