Flobi

A cartoonish robotic head with big blue eyes with cameras, red lips, and black eyebrows and a black, bobbed hairdo sits on a base. — Flobi is designed to look friendly to people. Photo: Barbara Proschak & Frank Hegel

Flobi is a robotic head that can express humanlike emotions without falling into the Uncanny Valley. It was designed to be deliberately simplistic and cartoonish to make humans more comfortable.

Creator

Bielefeld University

Year

2009

Country

Germany 🇩🇪

Categories

Features

Changing Flobi's face, and gender. — Changing Flobi's face, and gender. Video: Bielefeld University/CITEC

More videos

Did you know?

Changing Flobi's hair and lips turns the robot from female to male.

A side view of Flobi shows its removable faceplate. This version has red eyebrows and hair. — You can switch Flobi's hair and other parts to change its look. Photo: Barbara Proschak & Frank Hegel

An image of the robot with blue lips, eyebrows and hair. — A computer rendering shows the final design. Image: Stefan Grosspietsch & Frank Hegel

More Images

A faceplate with two holes where the eyes will go, and a brown bob haircut. — Head, face, and hair parts of a Flobi. Photo: Barbara Proschak & Frank Hegel

An inside view of the exposed electronics in Flobi's head. — The head is powered by 18 actuators. Photo: Ingo Luetkebohle

Six black and white images of Flobi with different hairstyle and facial elements. — A study of how facial features affect perception of gender. Photo: Frank Hegel

The robots mouth and face are positioned downward. — Flobi is sad. Photo: Frank Hegel

A robotic head with cartoon eyes and orange hair stands on a table next to hair pieces and faces of different colors. — Flobi, wearing orange hair, next to different hair pieces and faces. Photo: CITEC/Bielefeld University

Specs

Overview: Modular design. Head elements fitted with magnets for easy configuration of different faces.
Status: Inactive
Year: 2009
Width: 22 cm
Height: 28 cm
Length: 19 cm
Sensors: Two Point Grey Dragonfly2 cameras, two miniature microphones, IMU-based vestibular system, motor temperature sensors.
Actuators: 18 Maxon and Faulhaber servomotors
Degrees of Freedom (DoF): 18 (Eyebrows: 2 DoF; Eyes: 3 DoF; Eyelids: 4 DoF; Lips: 6 DoF; Neck: 3 DoF)
Materials: Plastic exterior; metal and plastic frame.
Software: Custom software
Power: 220-V power supply