By Loretta Waldman
WESTPORT, Conn.--They have blinking eyes and an unnerving way of
looking quizzically in the direction of whoever is speaking. They
walk, dance and can talk in 19 different languages. About the
height of a toddler, they look like bigger, better-dressed cousins
of Buzz Lightyear.
And soon, "Vincent" and "Nancy" will be buzzing around the
Westport Public Library, where officials next week will announce
the recent acquisition of the pair of humanoid "NAO Evolution"
robots. Their primary purpose: to teach the kind of coding and
computer-programming skills required to animate such machines.
While it isn't unusual for public libraries to offer instruction
in programming or robotics, Westport is the first in the nation to
do it with sophisticated humanoid bots made by the French robotics
firm Aldebaran. In a brief demonstration last week, Alex Giannini,
the library's digital-experience manager, had Vincent kicking a
small soccer ball, doing tai chi and taking bows.
"Robotics is the next disruptive technology coming into our
lives and we felt it was important to make it accessible to people
so they could learn about it," said Maxine Bleiweis, executive
director of the Westport Library. "From an economic-development
perspective and job- and career-development perspective, it's so
important."
Under Ms. Bleiweis's leadership, Westport has made it a priority
to provide public access to innovative new technology. Three years
ago, for example, it was one of the first public libraries in
Connecticut to acquire a 3-D printer and to create a "maker" space,
an area where patrons of all ages can try out equipment, dabble in
computer coding or work individually, or collaboratively, to create
DIY technology.
Westport isn't the only public library with robots. In May, the
Chicago Public Library, in partnership with Google Inc., made 500
"Finch" robots available to patrons at six of its branches. The
dot-eyed, half-domed machines, the size of dinner plate on wheels,
are also used to teach computer programming and coding.
Aldebaran said it has sold about 6,000 robots world-wide, mostly
to museums and schools. At nearly $8,000 a machine, the NAO
Evolution models, which were acquired by Westport with private
funds, cost considerably more than the Finch machines, which run
$99 each.
But the Aldebaran robots are also more complex--equipped with
two cameras, four microphones, motion sensors and sonar to detect
walls.
Vincent and Nancy can recognize faces and detect where sound is
coming from. They have a "fall manager" that helps them right
themselves after a tumble just as a human might, grunts and all.
They can even "touch" and "feel" with the help of tactile and
pressure sensors.
The robots come equipped with programming software, but embedded
within that software are compatible programming languages, such as
Python, that can be used to expand the capabilities of the NAO
bots. Aldebaran also has a large development community continuously
adding new behavior apps that facilitate everything from high-five
gestures to a "wake-up" routine including yawning and
stretching.
"They look like Sharper Image playthings, but they're insanely
complicated," said Mr. Giannini.
The library plans to debut the robots Oct. 11 and begin programs
and workshops soon after that will introduce participants to the
software, said Bill Derry, the library's assistant director for
innovation. After that, he said, he is planning a series of
competitive programming challenges requiring contestants to have
the robots recite a poem, give a speech and do a dance, among other
things. Winners in each category will compete in a final
competition at a maker fair in April.
"What we're counting on is that there is great capacity for
growth that will give patrons a chance to play with something
resembling artificial intelligence," said Mr. Derry. "Our goal is
to push it as far as we can and shed light on people who are
thinking, experimenting and producing to inspire them to go even
farther."
While some have speculated that the Internet would render public
libraries irrelevant, librarians say the proliferation of
technology and digitized information has had the opposite effect.
According to a 2013 report by the Pew Research Center, 81% of
Americans say public libraries provide services they would have a
hard time finding elsewhere.
The growing emphasis in schools on science, technology,
engineering and math gives library-based robots added
relevance.
"3-D printing and robotics are very visceral and really speak to
what's possible in the future," said Matt Latham, program and
maker-space coordinator at the Hoboken, N.J. public library. "It
spurs creative wonder about what we can do with technology."
Mr. Giannini envisions the robots being programmed for
"practical stuff" as well, such as helping patrons locate books or
greeting elementary-school groups that visit the library.
"I don't know what the coolest functionality is going to be,"
said Mr. Giannini. "Someone coming in off the street is probably
going to teach us that."
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