Ludic-HRI: Designing Playful Experiences with Robots

People are inherently playful, and playfulness matters not only when engaging in actual play but also in all other activities. Based on this, I propose using a ludic design approach as a means to broaden the design space for Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). In this paper, I discuss the application of ludic design in HRI and explore how ludic activities can act as a mechanism for achieving new understandings from people during their interactions with robots. Two projects, BubbleBot and Sketching Robot, are presented as cases of designing ludic activities with robots. In my work, I have investigated how people perceived robots by applying exploratory research through design methods in creating the ludic experiences. I am continuously learning from my design and exploring potential areas for designing robots while identifying new values and goals for having robots in our lives.