Robots should be a consideration in design, says IIDEXCanada speaker

As technology becomes more advanced, architects need to pay more attention to designing spaces that better accommodate robot navigation and functionality.

So says roboticist Shane Saunderson, a former vice-president at the technology-oriented firm Idea Couture who is now studying to obtain a PhD in robotics at the University of Toronto.

“While human-centred design has become an important element, this is no longer enough with this new population (robotic technologies) emerging,” he told designers attending a seminar at IIDEXCanada.

“You will have to begin to consider robots as a crucial stakeholder in design decisions. Human-centred design needs to be augmented with robot-centred design.”

Saunderson, who has an MBA in technology and innovation from the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University as well as a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from McGill, doesn’t believe robot-centred design will ever eclipse human-focused activity.

“Yet, I think there are ways in which we can start to make compromises,” he said. “We have to start thinking about how we share our spaces with robots.”

Saunderson, who helped Idea Couture grow its technology practice by leveraging his background in product design, mobile robotics and connected devices and automation, said changes are needed in the way spaces are designed to accommodate navigation for example.

“Autonomous navigation is a hot topic right now,” he said.

Pathways in buildings need either a ramp or elevator, walls and floors need to be visually distinct and door handles or elevator buttons must be recognizable and manipulable.

Saunderson, whose research at the University of Toronto is focused on human-robot interaction, said architects and interior designers also need to start thinking about how spaces can be designed to facilitate such interaction.

“By welcoming robots into our social spaces, we are creating a scenario where we now have to blend these two different worlds,” he said.

Part of the Buildings Show, IIDEXCanada is presented by the Interior Designers of Canada and Architecture Canada/Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.