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English: Humor during intensive technological design is a common sight for the MISAR family R&D team! Two members of MRISAR’s R&D team take a humor break from testing the brain functionality of a Prototype Rail robot host called Chibi that they designed and created. Roboticists John Adrian Siegel and Victoria Lee Croasdell-Siegel are seen here building a hand crafted interactive Chibi robot for use in museum environments that is bi-lingual and helps educate and entertain visitors. Some of the scientific disciplines used in the design of the prototype are Mechatronics, Electromechanical, Mechanical, Electronics, Autonomics and Photonics. Many of the robotics technologies that the team invents are used in both their museum exhibits and their humanitarian prototypes (like Rehabilitation Robotics for victims of paralysis) that have been presented before and/or published by leading organizations.

  Robot Chibi was designed and fabricated at MRISAR, a family owned business in North Dakota. Everything from MRISAR is designed and prototyped by two generations of 4 family members, the youngest two Autumn and Aurora Siegel having started their apprenticeship with their parents John and Victoria as preschoolers. The team goals are humanitarian and educational uses for science, art and technology. The devices created by them are unique in the fact that they are handcrafted, not mass produced. This allows the team to create across a wide range of technologies, applications and elements of science and art. The public use robotic exhibits they create for museums and science centers around the world relate to STEM and STEAM.

In developing interactive robotics for public use an important factor is how to relate to humans in a tangible way that transcends the boundaries of notions regarding racial characteristics, body and gender identification stereotypes. Basically to create a generic friendly personality all people can relate to as much as possible. The MRISAR team designed Chibi robot specifically to relate to children. It is small and friendly and not too human. When Chibi is fully assembled, each one has a dome on the top and bottom of its cylindrical body that aluminates with rainbow cascades of vibrant colors of lights. The general details of arms, body structure, eyes and mouth are evident, but kept simple. Components range from black to silver (a basis of skin concepts), with large eyes relating to a childlike appeal. Appendages are small to suggest a gentle nature. Glowing eyes and mouth elements relate back to the changing colors of the top and base domes as they cycle though a range of colors. The voice of the robot is not overly high. The midrange voice suggests a friendly and reassuring non-intimating quality. From a technical vantage this specific device combines electromechanical and mechanical engineered elements with travel limits and Boolean logic, logic circuits, interactive technology and photonics in a personable form of robotic art. The rail system it operates on is designed to relate to a current trend in making robotic devices that are capable of moving to a location of work without being an encumbrance to floor space. More images of the creation of this and other MRISAR robotic devices can be seen at mrisar.org.