& REEL
The Definition of SiCi
The authoring environment, SiCi (Smart ideas for Creative interplay), allows people, who are not professional programmers, to create high-quality robot content easily by linking multimedia entities on robots and smart devices. In addition, SiCi is a fast prototyping tool which can be used to verify ideas for robot services based smart devices
In the real world, SiCi is designed to allow the user to experience physical interaction which cannot be experienced in the virtual world. The SiCi tool can cover young students’ various imaginary worlds which can’t be handled by low-cost robot kits for learning after school.
SiCi is the most effective tool for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) education which improves problem-solving skills and technical skills in balance through creative experiences, where the virtual world and the real world converge.
About SiCi
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Purpose
content authoring environment for samateurs of support creative activities which combine robots and multimedia entities.
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Authoring environments and OS support
desktop environments and smart device environments
- - Windows-based PCs
- - Android-based smart devices
- - Mac OS and iOS will be supported later
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Background/character images
2D/3D supported
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The levels of programming abstraction
A two-tier scheme is designed for the timeline-based programming concept to support beginners by clarifying the concept of objects.
- - The upper timeline which specifies the interaction between actors
- - The lower timeline which specifies actor-specific actions
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Compatible robots and controllers
- - Robotis Inc.: Controllers based on DARwinOP and CM-100/CM-530
- - Arduino-compatible controllers
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Animation
It is also possible to control the movements of the characters’ joints by expanding the robot's joint control. Parametric animations can be created by timeline editing.
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Advanced Features
TTS (Text-to-Speech), voice recognition, color recognition, face recognition, and augmented reality applications, Kinect motion recognition, multi-screen linkage, etc.
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Strong Points
The SiCi tool can be used only with low-tech knowledge. It allows the user to learn the basic concepts of programming and boost content authoring efficiency with a variety of built-in functions.
Features of SiCi
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There are intuitive authoring methods available for amateurs.
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The structure similar to film production: Casting -> Directing
A) The user serves as a producer which selects actors, and the rule,
, is expressed.
B) The upper-layer timeline is used. - If an actor needs to behave in a particular way, a new one is to be created for its instruction. The lower-layer timeline is used.
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support various OS platforms
The SiCi tool supports various OS platforms. Its diversity and flexibility is secured by interworking with various robot controllers.
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inspire the user's creative
The built-in advanced functions inspire the user’s creative will to create high-quality content within a short period of time: speech recognition, image recognition, gesture recognition, N-device interworking.
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It is possible to create character animations by extending the concept of the robot's joint control.
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User-generated projects can be easily shared via SNS
About REEL
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● REEL(Robot in Education & Entertainment Laboratory, Institute of Education and robots)
Since REEL (Robot in Education & Entertainment Laboratory, Institute of Education and robots) was established in 1996, there have been studies about how to enhance the effectiveness of education and cultural activities based on multi-robot cooperation, human-robot collaboration, and human-robot interaction. The educational content has been developed with actual teachers to help students improve their problem-solving skills and maximize the effectiveness of education by using robots. There have been various attempts to bring new changes in the educational system by interworking between robots and smart devices.
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●research areas
- - The development of SiCi (Smart ideas for Creative interplay), the robot content authoring environment for non-specialists
- - The development of robot curriculum and related content for primary and secondary education (K-12)
- - The design of creativity camps and competitions for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) education.
- - The development of decision-making and expression technologies for improving the social effectiveness of socially assistive robots