We believe that in the future, exertion activities will become a new experience, involving interactions with autonomous embodied systems. Our vision is Joggobot, an autonomous flying quadcopter that exemplifies our thinking about the combination of robotics and physical exercise. We use Joggobot to ask the question how (and if) robots should support us when exercising. As such, Joggobot helps us to understand the interactions between a person and a robot. Our Joggobot is able to track the position of the jogger via an built-in camera and tag detection software. This software turns the previously human-controlled quadcopter into an autonomous flying robot that reacts to the jogger’s actions. We ask questions such as “Should the robot be a pacemaker for the jogger? If so, can this be motivating? Or should the Joggobot be more like a dog, reacting to the jogger like a pet companion? How does this affect the interaction, and in particular, the exercise experience for the jogger? Will joggers run faster or longer because of the robot?

And, maybe more importantly, will the jog be more engaging?” We believe robots have been so far mainly investigated from a perspective where they do tasks for us we do not want to do: vacuuming floors, going into war zones, and cleaning up nuclear power plants.With Joggobot, we want to propose the idea of robots as companions for physical activity. We believe this is a promising approach, as both robots and exercise are embodied, by which we mean they are both heavily body-focused. We think that this match in body-focus can lead to more engaging experiences. For example, compare Joggobot to running with one of the many mobile phone apps that support joggers. Such an app does not know about the shape and size of the phone (its “body”), nor does the shape and size of the mobile phone knows (or does) anything about the app or the exercise. Therefore the app is not very body-focused or embodied. Jogging on the other hand is all about the body. And so is Joggobot: it’s a physical device that acts and reacts to its environment and the jogger.

Both the Joggobot and the jogger are affected by environmental conditions such as wind. Both’s performance is affected by rain. Both get “tired” (Joggobot’s speed diminishes with low battery) and with both you can hear if they invest physical effort: the jogger puffs, the Joggobot whirrs. best camera drone on the marketWe believe the match in focus on the body can facilitate more engaging experiences, for example joggers might “relate” more to Joggobot because it has a body, they might even develop empathy because both have a body-focused experience. black ops 2 rc drone ebayThis is important, as we know from sports research that social factors are key when it comes to exercising.price of ar drone parrot

We hope our project will enhance our understanding of why we play (and hence why we jog and therefore why we do not jog enough), further the experience of jogging and promote the consideration of robots supporting exertion activities.remote control drone ipad In the Exertion Games Lab, we investigate the intersection between technology, the body and play, we call this coming together Exertion Games. drone with camera for sale black fridayJoggobot is a form of an exertion game, as jogging is play (we are not jogging to get from A to B, but for the experience of jogging), and the Joggobot represents technology that is part of that experience. parrot ar drone quadricopter wifi modelbouw rc helicopter

Joggobot as well as all of our other exertion games are inspirational pieces to inspire industry of what the future can and should be like in 10 years time. Joggobot by Eberhard Gräther and Florian ‘Floyd’ Mueller, with help from Wouter Walmink, Chad Toprak, Josh Platt, Conor O’Kane, Jennifer Lade, Jonathan Duckworth, Wendy Ju and Wolfgang Gräther. Video by Eric Dittloff. Graether, E., Mueller, F. 2012. Joggobot: A Flying Companion as Flying Companion. Mueller, F., Wilde, D., Toprak, C., Graether, E., Berthouze, N. 2012. Future User Research for Exertion Games. Workshop User Research in Games. Joggobot video high quality (.mp4) Daily Mail UK: Jog human The robot companion flies just ahead runners track SBS (World News Australia): Jogging robot sets the pace I Programmer: You’re never alone with a Joggobot Quadrotor New Scientist: Go for a jog with a helicopter drone The Age: Flying robot set to spur on flying feet (incl. video)

Digital trends: Meet Joggobot, the flying robot that sets your jogging pace Krone: Salzburger Student erfindet fliegenden Jogging-Trainer Heritage Hill Dandenong: Get Active – with games design student Chad Toprak Futurezone: Joggobot: Laufen mit der Flugdrohne Firstpost: Joggobot / Exertion Games Lab – RMIT University The Sunday Age: “Sure he was cute, but did R2-D2 give you personal training?”:Onboard CameraFlight RecorderParrot Ar DroneDronesParrotsWi FiServiceBlack BoxVideosForwardParrot has announced a new peripheral for its AR.Drone 2.0, a black box-style Flight Recorder with 4 GB of Flash storage to record GPS and flight data, as well as locally save about 2 hours of HD footage recorded on the drone's onboard camera.REMOTE-CONTROLLED drones that can record video footage are being sold in large retail stores, alarming privacy experts who say they could be used to spy on people.The drones sell for as little as $350, making them increasingly popular with the general public, and worrying those who believe the technology has the potential to be a peeping Tom in the sky.

Associate Professor Kevin Heller from the Melbourne Law School says the idea that private citizens can buy drones and record footage directly onto smartphones had serious privacy implications.He said that while ''not everybody who buys these drones is a closet criminal … there are infinite mischievous possibilities''. ''It doesn't take a genius to imagine flying one over the neighbours' lawn and capturing photos of them nude,'' he said.Australian Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim is cautious about the growing use of camera drones. ''It is concerning that this type of equipment can be easily purchased and used by individuals, potentially without any limitation on their use,'' said Mr Pilgrim, who recently wrote to the Attorney-General raising his concerns.As Mr Pilgrim points out, under Australia's 1988 Privacy Act, private sector organisations with a turnover of less than $3 million are not subject to regulation, leaving plenty of scope for abuse.The situation has been exacerbated by the growth in DIY-drones available from hobby shops.

Guided by GPS and tiny autopilots, hobby drones now have the ability to fly for kilometres, providing sharp video vision directly back to the pilot.A spokesman for the Victorian government said the state was aware of the Australian Privacy Commissioner's concerns.Victoria Police is also concerned that drones could be used unlawfully.Under the Surveillance Devices Act 1999, people are prohibited from knowingly using an ''optical surveillance device'' to record a private activity without consent.''There is concern regarding the use of these devices outside the law,'' a police spokeswoman said.''There is potential for possible breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act where operators of unmanned aerial vehicles do not comply with the provisions of 'private activity' as defined in the act.''In the US, some operators are flying their drones for commercial purposes, whether they be journalists chasing a story or paparazzi chasing the ultimate bird's-eye celebrity shot. Police departments throughout the US are already using aerial drones for surveillance purposes.

In May, Victoria Police confirmed it was assessing so-called unmanned aerial systems.Harvey Norman stores began selling the Parrot AR. Drone 2.0, which can be controlled through a smartphone, late last year.On its website, the electronics retailer says the drone's camera allows its owners to ''see more with the clean, sharp image'' and ''record and share your flying experience''.Video footage and images can be shared instantly on social media such as YouTube.The executive director of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems Australia, Peggy MacTavish, said people using drones were subject to privacy and public safety laws, including the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's regulations for unmanned systems.''Our membership ranges from the multinational corporations … right down to individuals who want to fly for recreation,'' she said. ''Even if it's recreational there are rules and regulations that apply.''Ms MacTavish confirmed that drones were increasingly being sold by Australian retailers, including at Melbourne Airport, and sales to private citizens were growing.