Communicating with SanTO - the first Catholic robot

Gabriele Trovato, Franco Pariasca, Renzo Ramirez, Javier Cerna, Vadim Reutskiy, Laureano Rodriguez, Francisco Cuellar

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

In the 1560s Philip II of Spain commissioned the realisation of a 'mechanical monk', a small humanoid automaton with the ability to move and walk. Centuries later, we present a Catholic humanoid robot. With the appearance of a statue of a saint and some interactive features, it is designed for Christian Catholic users for a variety of purposes. Its creation offers new insights on the concept of sacredness applied to a robot and the role of automation in religion. In this paper we present its concept, its functioning, and a preliminary test. A dialogue system, integrated within the multimodal communication consisting of vision, touch, voice and lights, drives the interaction with the users. We collected the first responses, particularly focused on the impression of sacredness of the robot, during an experiment that took place in a church in Peru.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2019 28th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, RO-MAN 2019
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9781728126227
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2019
Event28th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, RO-MAN 2019 - New Delhi, India
Duration: 14 Oct 201918 Oct 2019

Publication series

Name2019 28th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, RO-MAN 2019

Conference

Conference28th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, RO-MAN 2019
Country/TerritoryIndia
CityNew Delhi
Period14/10/1918/10/19

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