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Rookie is a service robot designed to provide package, cafe, and food delivery services in NAVER's second headquarters. The main principle is that Rookie's exterior design should blend naturally with people in their daily living space. Accordance to this principle, we established the following design criteria.

Dimensions

Rookie provides services while autonomously driving indoors. We have established the size that would allow robots to drive stably without intimidating people. The robot's height is lower than the eye level of a sitting person and feels non-threatening, while being wide enough to enter and exit through normal-sized doors.

In addition, we wanted to insure convenient object loading or retrieval. The placement of the cargo box was set so that anyone could easily retrieve packages without bending down too low or extending their arms too far.

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Front View

We wanted to apply a reliable and trustworthy image to the exterior design. We also made sure that the display doesn't look too much like a human face. This is because excessively humanized robots distort user expectations. By minimizing any unnecessary decorations, we were able to secure a solid image.

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The translucent material of the tray door makes it possible to see whether an item is loaded or not. By differentiating the color and material of the body from the actual operational part, we reduced the bulkiness of the robot. For the base part which is mounted with sensors, we applied the darkest color to enhance the sense of stability.

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Side View

It is designed so that the direction the robot is moving in can easily be recognized. The 47 degree inclination also increases the visibility of the display. At the same time, we emphasized the horizontal line at the top section to secure the visual stability of the tall robot. This method of expressing diagonal and horizontal lines has been one of the most consistent design languages of NAVER LABS's robots.

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Rear View

In order to make it easier for users to distinguish the front and rear sides, we made sure to clearly contrast the rear section with the front section in terms of color, material, and finish. A hidden sub-display is used to provide relevant information. The LED lights on the base part are also one of the elements that can indicate the status of Rookie.

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Perspective View

We placed complex elements in the black area, including the display, cameras and various sensors, complicated mechanical elements for the door, status LED, and cargo box, to give a visually organized feeling. The LED lights on the top section are one of the elements that can indicate the status of Rookie.

Door & Light

We applied color, material, and finish that can increase the visibility of the door and make it easy to determine whether a package is loaded or not.

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Sliding Door

Considering the convenience of the user, we thought about using an automatic sliding door and extending the interior of the cargo box.

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Tray Design

The bottom of the tray is made of silicone material to prevent the slipping of packages or other items, and the entire inner wall comes out to prevent the contents from falling back or getting stuck.

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Base Driving Part

In the base part, we arranged complex elements such as the driver (consisting of the motor and wheels) and the numerous sensors as simply and concisely as possible.

Even the smallest details in Rookie's exterior design were created with much thought and contemplation on why the particular decision was made. As mentioned at the start of the article, our standard is the interaction and harmony with people and the space.

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