Using Rapid Prototyping to Explore Design Implications for a Pill-Dispensing Social Agent

Abstract

The process of managing one's daily intake of medication has been shown to be error-prone for a variety of reasons. In this paper, we explore, through a rapid prototyping approach, the design implications for a social robotic agent intended for dispensing medicine. The process started with initial interviews with medical experts to allow for a better understanding of the design space. Their input helped us realise a low-fidelity, animal-like, robotic prototype for pill-dispensing. We report initial impressions of the prototype from four pharmacists. Based on those findings, we present design implications categorised into:look and feel, social role, desired task, and the agent's presence in a home environment.