Project

Elvis: A Situation-Aware Conversational Chandelier

Imagine the full power of a theater lighting system, complete with an expert human lighting controller, at your disposal to light your home. Such a system could put light where you need it, when you need it. You could talk to the controller, who would then translate your wishes into lighting configurations, taking into account numerous contextual factors such as who is in the room, where they are, what other sources of light are effecting the room, and so forth. Elvis is a conversational, robotic chandelier designed with these goals in mind. By combining elements of computer vision, robotic control, and grounded language understanding, Elvis demonstrates a new kind of device that is aware of its surroundings and able to communicate with people using natural communication.