Wizard of Oz: An Underestimated Method in the Field of Social Robotics

Abstract

In 2017, we designed a basic web dashboard to temporarily control Pepper’s robot, which was in the process of implementing an Android remote controller app. Although the intention was to operate the robot’s basic control, its design and function have led to its long-term use of this dashboard, even now. We quite underestimated the potential use of this dashboard. Often, it helps us bring the robot to life and make it functional, whereas the Choregraphe and smartphone remote app could not connect to it. Later, we often used the Wizard of Oz method to impress older adults in the care home and demonstrate the fun aspects of the robot to them. Nowadays, it is less frequent to use the dashboard and Wizard of Oz in general; still, it is a game-changer when new people see and interact with the robot. However, this raises some ethical considerations about manipulating the target groups to like the robot. Therefore, in this paper, we discuss the importance of ethical considerations in using the Wizard of Oz method and the design implications that lead to the long-term use of this dashboard.