A Dance Performance Environment in which Performers Dance with Multiple Robotic Balls

Abstract

In recent years, as robotics technology progresses, various mobile robots have been developed to dance with humans. However, up until now there have been no system for interactively creating a performance using multiple mobile robots. Therefore, performance using multiple mobile robots is still difficult. In this study, we construct a mechanism by which a performer can interactively create a performance while he/she considers the correspondence between his/her motion and the mobile robots' movement and light. Specifically, we developed a system that enables performers to freely create performances with multiple robotics balls that can move omunidirectionnally and have full color LEDs. Performers can design both the movements of the robotic balls and the colors of the LEDs. To evaluate the effectiveness of the system, we had four performers use the system to create and demonstrate performances. Moreover, we confirmed that the system performed reliably in a real environment.