Moneo - intuitive human robot interaction
What if you could program a robot without any programming knowledge? Moneo is a spatial computing device that translates human movement into code for the robot to understand and was inspired by the movements of a chef creating a meal. Moneo empowers anyone to control a robot, without any prior knowledge of robot programming and by doing so, democratising the use of robotics. The concept was developed in close collaboration with ABB Corporate Research during my thesis project at Umeå Institute of Design.
The Challenge
Currently, it is difficult for small to medium sized enterprises to invest in the addition and maintenance of robots to their production chain. This leads to companies being forced to move their production abroad, which is neither environmentally nor socially sustainable, due to jobs leaving Sweden and the logistics required to ship products around the world are harmful to the environment. So, what is Moneo? It´s a programming device that simplifies the programming of Pick-and-place robots. By changing the mode of human-robot communication from coding to gestures, Moneo lowers the threshold of programming and empowers anyone to control a robot, without any prior knowledge of robot programming. Who was it designed for? Moneo serves to be especially helpful for small to medium-sized enterprises, who are currently struggling with expensive machinery that requires a lot of knowledge and resources to operate. By simplifying the programming of robots at manufacturing sites, Moneo strives to democratize production. This favors decentralized production, allows for small- to medium-sized companies to stay in Sweden and reduces the need of shipping.
The Design Process in short.