The Keepon seems like a relatively simple toy, but the motivation for the robots is compelling. One of the visible human traits that robots commonly lack is the rhythm we express in communication, often seen in speech and movement. Common examples include the use of hand gestures in combination with words to convey a message, or when we express empathy by responding to others emotions in a similar manner. Synchronization between the emotions perceived by others and our responses is a critical part of human relationships and identifies characteristics about the other, and oftentimes this synchronization comes naturally as we convey our thoughts.
The Keepon has been designed to make 'eye-contact' with faces, has four degrees of rotational freedom, and has dance skills and rhythm that puts many people to shame.
One application of Beatbots have been to study autism and has demonstrated how autistic patients seek to share interest in others. In the study autistic children expressed positive emotion in response to the Keepon and then sought to communicate their positive interaction with the Keepon with an adult. The unique aspect of the Keepon for autism studies is thought to be how it relays emotional response in a simpler and more consistent manner than in human interaction. More on the autism research: http://beatbots.net/2008/09/25/the-works-robots-on-the-history-channel/
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