At TalTech campus party on 6 September, a pop-up library opened in front of the library. In the pop-up library, people could register as a reader, ask about library services and participate in the emoji game. The personal assistant robot Temi V3, which gave book recommendations in Estonian and English, received special attention. The robot was prepared for this task by the TalTech IT College Didactics Research Group, led by junior researcher Kristel Marmor. In her research, Kristel investigates what should be the body language of robots for people to enjoy interacting with them.
“The purpose of socially assistive robots is not to take people’s jobs, but rather to free library staff from repetitive tasks and make visiting the library more exciting and easier,” commented Kristel Marmor. What the robot can do in the library depends on both the technical capabilities of the robot and on the behavioral scenarios created as a result of cooperation between the library staff and the researcher. “Scenarios are specially developed applications that control the robot’s behavior,” explains Leo Benjamin Leoste, IT College Mobile Telerobotics Lab Assistant. Today, Temi can help find the necessary shelf, check-out machine, printer, book sale desk, etc. and even introduces the menu of the library café. According to Assistant Professor Janika Leoste, Team Lead of the IT Didactics Research Group, the key question is how both employees and visitors will accept the robot assistant. Sometimes simple fun activities are also helpful. For example, a feature has been added to the robot’s menu that makes guesses about the gender and age of the visitor, providing a lot of excitement.
“Temi has been working in the library all summer and the feedback has been positive. The robot can navigate independently and communicate with visitors, offering the opportunity to find important places in the library under its guidance,” states Maris Nool, Head of the Library Services Center, with satisfaction. Temi will continue helping readers in the library in the new academic year as well, Maris confirms. “We are also looking for ways to develop new functions that will facilitate the work of librarians, such as checking out collections.”
Today, service robots like Temi are widely used in various fields, helping people find the products or services they need. Advances in robotics and artificial intelligence have led to robots being able to perform complex tasks, including guiding humans and making decisions in real time. Temi is one example of how robotics can be successfully used in public services, improving user experience and optimizing work processes.
