We partnered with Embodied, Inc., on Moxie, an animated smart companion robot, that supports families in promoting social, emotional, and cognitive development of children across the ability spectrum. Our challenge was to translate the AI into something relatable for children and bridge the gap between the technology and the user.
We partnered with Embodied to codify the product purpose and character attributes for Moxie to successfully engage with 5-10 year old children. We worked in parallel with the backstory development, designing simple yet expressive physical and emotional range of body language and facial features to enable natural interactions with kids. Particular attention was paid to designing emotional expression children can easily recognize to help protect from excessive screen-time.
Idea
We designed a unique look for Moxie in parallel with the backstory development- Moxie being a visitor from “The Global Robotics Laboratory,” on earth to learn how to be a good friend to humans.
All its expressive and endearing features—including the ears, head/playful projection tip, the chest UI badge, speakers, and arm/hand/finger details—comes together to tell the story about Moxie as a friendly companion sent out as a robot ambassador with a mission to learn what it means to be a good friend to humans.
The emotional intelligence of the A.I. was a key factor in shaping the design of the overall shape, color palette, and exterior materiality. To show the emotional intelligence inside and out, we explored a variety of forms to ensure even at a first glance Moxie would feel inviting. We created a unique head profile(hair style/ helmet) and considered the clothes, body and head proportions, defined hand and fingers, and silhouette of the entire form, to keep it gender neutral and connected to Moxie’s backstory.
Moxie
Defining the next generation human & machine interactions
Scope
Design Strategy
Industrial/Product Design
CMF
Responsive Interaction Framework
Challenge
Impact
Moxie established itself as a technologically impressive and emotionally resonant companion, validated by both critics and real-world families. Reviews praised Moxie’s lifelike interaction and its ability to foster social and emotional learning in children—including those with autism.
“the robot pal you dreamed of as a kid”
