Robots
CASE STUDY: Pepper Robot at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Museum Iași
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Within the European Days of Archaeology, June 17-19, 2022, Iasi
Pepper as a "robot guide" at the museum.
The "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University Museum in Iași participated this year for the first time in the European Days of Archeology which took place during 17-19 June 2022. The event marks the celebration and promotion of the archaeological field and its explanation to the public.
The event was marked by numerous activities open to the public, such as guided tours, field investigations, workshops with and about clay, ceramics, and together we also brought a robot guide to the museum.
Pepper, assistant during the guided tours offered to visitors, is a new element for the museum's visitors.
The young audience, together with representatives from the academic environment, were surprised and curious by the meeting with the Pepper robot that took place at the end of the guided tour offered by museographers in the Cucuteni Civilization Museum, which is part of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Museum in Iasi.
“Pepper's contribution to the event held at the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University Museum in Iasi was focused on creating a unique experience for visitors. The experience of working with the young audience (pupils or students - members of the academic community) made me understand that it is necessary to introduce some elements of novelty in the interaction with them. Inspired by Pepper's presence in museums abroad and by the fact that, in 2021, he was the ambassador of the FITPTI event (International Theater Festival for Young Audiences) in Iași, I considered it appropriate to take an interest in how I can bring this activity to the museum. Why they chose a humanoid robot with social intelligence as an assistant guide
The representatives of the museum wanted to arouse the public's curiosity, make people smile, bring people closer to technology, but at the same time give them the opportunity to interact with the Pepper robot. Interaction with Pepper could be done through the quiz game. The game provided specific directions to visitors so that they could informally test their knowledge.
With all this in mind, at IRIS Robotics we have created a customized application for Pepper to support the objectives proposed during the European Days of Archaeology.
„The entire application has been customized for the theme of the event, so that the results obtained are as close as possible to the proposed target: regaining the visibility of the Museum within the community which, following the cessation of activities with the public caused by the states of alert and emergency imposed at the national level and compliance with the measures hygiene and sanitation, experienced an alarming decrease in the number of physical visitors, but also obtaining remarkable visibility results for the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University in Iași, at the national and internationallevel, through this partnership, especially since there was no precedent in this regard in Romania. Its efficiency has already been demonstrated in Iași, with the humanoid robot Pepper attracting large audiences at the Iași International Theater Festival for Young Audiences, 2021 edition." -mrs. Vasilica Mirza
Pepper's presence as part of the experience offered to the public during a visit to the Museum supplemented the work that the museum staff is currently doing. Thus, with the help of Pepper, the public discovered complementary information about the Cucuteni civilization through the presentations provided by him.
In addition, Pepper also challenged visitors with a six-question quiz. These questions checked the information retained by the visitors at the end of the guided tour offered in the Cucuteni Civilization Museum.
Findings: What Pepper's interaction with people looks like in numbers
Visitors in the museum during the 3 days: 100
Quizzes completed: 22
Attention: 100% (all people stop at Pepper)
We are proud of a number of around 100 visitors who crossed the threshold of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Museum in Iasi during the 3 days of the European event. The visitor experience was truly special through the many activities available within the museum, as well as the memorable visitor encounter with Pepper.
Although the initiative was promoted shortly before the actual event, we are glad that the young public, students, archaeologists and representatives from the academic environment responded to the invitation to actively participate in the event organized on the occasion of the European Days of Archaeology.
„The participants were first surprised by Pepper's unusual appearance in the Museum, some of them even came especially to meet him. It brought many smiles to everyone's faces and I loved seeing the whole team and visitors, so animated by the charisma of the manga-eyed robot. I think it also evoked nostalgia among those who grew up in the ̓90s with Japanese comics and cartoons, like Sailor Moon. ” - ms. Vasilica Mirza
The experience offered to visitors was mainly practical, applied and aroused a lot of curiosity and interest. Pepper, as a support in the guided tours offered to the public, represented a novelty element that informally tested the knowledge that the visitors were left with after the guided tour. Out of a total of approximately 100 visitors, 22 full participations were recorded. However, the public participating in the quiz applied by Pepper at the end of the guided tour represented more than 22% of the total number of visitors, as they were organized in groups of at least 2 people. We were happy to learn "behind the scenes" that Pepper was well received by visitors of all ages, who, although initially shy, were convinced by Pepper's empathy to join the games he proposed.
From afar, during the European Days of Archaeology, together with the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Museum in Iasi, we carried out a project we are very proud of!
Pepper, the social robot present as a guide in the museum, a fact that aroused increased attention from representatives of the local and even national media. The presence of social robots in museums supports the work of those responsible for offering guided tours throughout the program, for which with the help of Pepper, at least part of the sections available in the museum can be presented in an interactive way by Pepper.
VIDEO BY EURONEWS
See below the video clip created by Euronews Romania, with Pepper Robot's activities at the museum: Watch the video on YouTubePerspectives and new forms of interaction with the public in museums
Together with the representatives of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Museum in Iași, we drew some future perspectives regarding the presence of social robots in museums in Romania, which we hope will inspire you, regardless of the sphere of activity and encourage you to discover more about how they can actively contribute to the digitalization of services in general. Social robots support the transformation and digitization of the cultural industry through their presence in national and international museums Social robots must be seen as a differentiator through which they can actively encourage certain segments of the public to visit the museum and see it differently through the eyes of technology. They can represent a source of attraction to the public at the museum, but more than that, they represent a reinterpretation of the way exhibits and exhibitions are presented. Social bots are one way that the guide experience in the museum is enhanced, not replaced. "Considering the experience, I find daily activities that Pepper could successfully do in the museum: welcoming visitors, guiding in permanent and temporary exhibitions, registering visitors, providing feedback questionnaires, etc. For larger, county, national museums, Pepper would save time waiting for certain directions, choosing the type of ticket you want or those already mentioned. Another thing, which I noticed it personally, it is our desire, as visitors, to get involved in some way with the activity that captured our attention. The fact that we can interact with Pepper, in the age of digitization, satisfies our desire to touch things around us, which in museums cannot always be allowed, for reasons of proper preservation of objects. This could transform that "don't touch!" from museums to 'touch here!', which can semantically educate the public in a positive way." –mrs. Vasilica Mirza Social robots offer many opportunities to personalize the public experience in museums More than Pepper was involved in the European Days of Archaeology, it can be customized by us to adapt to different needs in museums. Pepper can provide an entire digital museum experience:- greeting at the entrance to the museum
- guidance within the available exhibitions
- ensuring a good mood among visitors
- checking the information visitors have left after the tour or evaluating the degree of satisfaction.
