SONY

Brand

Stories

Affinity in Autonomy
Sony Design Exhibition at Milan Design Week 2019

Sony's logo is shown on a black background.

Background music plays.

On a white back ground, two logos, "Sony's Innovations & Challenges" and "Stories" are displayed.

Next, on the background of the image of a mixture of purple, light blue, and pink colors, the opening title "Affinity in Autonomy" and the subtitle "Sony Design Exhibition at Milan Design Week 2019" are displayed with flickering effect.

Four spherical lights are glowing in a dark space.
The back of a woman in a white shirt.
A cage-like sphere made from thick, wire-like material.
A woman's profile and her hand touching the sphere.
Small light is emitted from the center of the sphere.
A woman in a skirt walks along with several ball-shaped robots.
Only her feet are shown.
An aibo, the robot dog, acts like it is barking.
A colored circle under aibo spreads annularly.
A woman passes by a cube-shaped robot.

A man in a white shirt sits on a sofa and is interviewed.
Two pictures in pastel colors are hung on the wall behind him.

On-screen text
Daisuke Ishii
Chief Art Director
Creative Center

Ishii speaks.

Ishii
"People say that one day we'll reach the point of singularity, where AI and robotics surpasses human intelligence.
One issue we wanted to address was how we can prepare ourselves for when that day comes.
We wanted to show people that robots aren't a threat to humans, but partners, intimately integrated into our daily lives.
And we wanted to do that in as natural a way as possible."

In front of the hall where the Milan Design Week is held.
A banner with Sony's logo is hung on every streetlight standing along the street.
Many cars are parked along the street.
People are heading toward the hall.
The entrance of the hall.
A big banner designed with a logo saying "Affinity in Autonomy" is hanging down from the ceiling.
Visitors are walking along the route.

On the outer wall of the building where the Milan Design Week is held, rectangular banners each designed with the logo "Affinity in Autonomy" are hung at equal intervals.
Under the blue sky, those banners are waving in the wind.

On-screen text
In April 2019, Sony returned to Milan Design Week,
the world's largest international design event, with an exhibit called "Affinity in Autonomy" that envisions
a new, symbiotic relationship between humans and robotics.

In the hall, a man in a cardigan is interviewed.

On-screen text
Daigo Maesaka
Senior Art Director
Creative Center

Maesaka speaks.

Maesaka
"Our sense is that people don't really think about how humans and robots might interact in the future.
So we created a story composed of five interactive spaces where visitors can experience "Affinity in Autonomy" and a new relationship with robotics.
Our senses awaken a new kind of intelligence in the first space.
Moving through the interactions, the robots gradually evolve, and deeper relationships and emotional bonds grow."

The big banner designed with the logo "Affinity in Autonomy" and Sony's logo is hung on the entrance of the hall.
The feet of walking visitors.
The hall decorated with the banners with the logo "Affinity in Autonomy."
Visitors are entering into the hall.
On the passage which leads to the hall, no end of people is standing in line.
A hand of a visitor holding an envelope with the logo "Affinity in Autonomy" and Sony's logo.
People are waiting in line in front of a wall.
The wall is designed with the logo "Affinity in Autonomy."
The scene changes to an exhibition venue.
A boy is touching a ball-shaped robot.
A girl is watching the light emitted from a cage-like sphere and passing her hand over it.
An another girl who was watching it points her finger at the light.
A girl with a hairpin on her side moves her fingers to the mouth of an aibo and looks into it.

Several round lights are glowing in the dark.
On the background of the image of a visitor's index finger moving round in round, the same hand moving from side to side, and the lights that move in sync with those movements of the hand, the subtitles, 'Interaction <01>' and 'Awakening' are displayed.
Maesaka speaks.

Maesaka
"Here, the entity awakens and senses the visitor's presence in the darkness and follows them as they move through the space.
At first, there are just small dots. These slowly grow and form organic shapes, taking on color, until they seem to convey a sense of feeling or emotion."

As a group of visitors moves their hands, round lights projecting on a wall move in sync with it.
As a woman carrying a backpack walks in front of that wall, big and small lights projecting on it chase her, coming close and going back away.
This woman follows the movement of those lights with her eyes.
A bearded man is moving his hand widely.
A man wearing glasses is getting close to the wall.
A woman in a striped shirt is waving her arm to the wall as close as possible to move those lights.
A man is staring at those lights.
Those lights change their color to blue and so on.
A woman in a jacket puts her hand over the lights and moves them with a smile.

A cage-like sphere made from thick, wire-like material appears in the dark.
On the background of the image of a pendulum that has a glowing head swinging inside the cage-like sphere, the subtitles, 'Interaction <02>' and 'Autonomous' are displayed.

A hall where this sphere is exhibited.
A man in a mustard colored jacket is interviewed.

On-screen text
Shogo Yashiro
Senior Designer
Design Center Europe

Yashiro speaks.

Yashiro
"We believed robotic movement based on natural phenomena would feel comfortable for human beings.
Thus, we designed a pendulum that moves following the laws of nature and gravity."

Inside the cage-like sphere, the pendulum that has a glowing head is swinging.
A man follows the movement of the pendulum.

Yashiro speaks.

Yashiro
"When someone approaches, the robot moves closer to them.
Visitors say it actually feels like a living creature, with real emotions, and they respond emotionally to it."

A woman in a striped shirt finds the pendulum. As she gets close to it, the head of the pendulum points at her.
The blue-green light of the pendulum illuminates her face.
A hand of a person in a houndstooth-sleeved shirt.
As it moves, the pendulum moves in sync.
A woman in a leather jacket.
As the light of the pendulum lights her up, she smiles.
A man in a hoodie moves his hand with a smile.
A group of women is watching with smiles how the head of the pendulum chases the man's hand as it moves.
A long-haired woman moves her hand with a smile.
A boy is watching at a light.
A girl is looking up in wonder how the pendulum moves.

Various, large or small, ball-shaped robots are exhibited in a room.
On the background of the image of a woman, which is carrying a backpack, watching a ball on bended knees, the subtitles, 'Interaction <03>' and 'Accordance' are displayed.

Maesaka speaks.

Maesaka
"The relationship between humans and robotics doesn't have to be one-to-one. It can be one-to-many.
This interaction gives visitors a glimpse of what a robotic community might look like."

A woman in a white dress slowly walks in the room where the various, large or small, ball-shaped robots are exhibited.
As she moves, the robots slowly move too.
A group of women is sitting on the floor.
They are surrounded by many, large or small, ball-shaped robots.
Visitors are in line, watching the robots.
Many ball-shaped robots slowly move back and forth.
The back of a woman taking pictures of those robots.
A group of children, including a girl wearing a hairpin on one side of her hair, are sitting on the floor.
They are watching a ball-shaped robot that is coming closer to them.
A bearded man that is sitting cross-legged smiles as he sees the ball-shaped robots.
The woman next to him is pointing her smartphone toward those robots.

A group of children with backpacks is surrounding an aibo, the robot dog, which is sitting on a circular display stand.
A boy wearing a cap is stroking under the aibo's chin.
On the background of the images of aibo reacting like blinking and opening its mouth,the subtitles, 'Interaction <04>' and 'Affiliation' are displayed.

A woman in a gray, long cardigan is interviewed in the exhibition venue of aibo.
Behind her, an aibo is moving on a display stand.

On-screen text
Emika Arai
Designer
Creative Center
Arai speaks.
Arai
"Normally, aibo expresses emotion through its eyes, voice, movements and so on.
Here, we wanted visitors to understand that robots can express emotions too, so we added graphics.
This enables visitors to immediately grasp aibo's feelings."

Two women both wearing a jacket is watching an aibo. They look happy.
One of the women pets the aibo.
A man in a denim shirt is looking down with a smile.
On the built-in screen of the display stand on which the aibo is sitting, a green, shock-wave-like light appears.
The aibo lifts its left paw.
A visitor holds out its hand under that paw, just like the "Give paw! Shake hand!" of a real dog.
The aibo starts to look happy.
The light on the screen has changed its shape to a yellow circle.
A hand wearing a watch is petting the aibo.
The aibo closes its eyes with a happy look.
The yellow, circular light on the screen grows brighter and bigger.
The words on the screen, which indicate the emotion of aibo, changes from 'Joy: 16.5' to 'Joy: 13.2.'

Arai speaks.

Arai
"Children, especially, interact with aibo as though it were a real dog.
It's wonderful how they ask so many questions, such as 'Can I play with aibo?' and 'Does it understand commands?' "

A boy having wavy hair pets an aibo with his both hands.
An aibo is barking. The light under it changes its shape to a shock-wave-like form.
A girl and her mother are watching that with smiles.
A girl and a boy standing side by side are both touching an aibo's paw, which is giving a paw shake.
An aibo stares at a hand held out in front of it.
A woman wearing glasses is holding a young child in her arms. She is showing her child an aibo.
The child is staring at it.
On a built-in screen, a purple, shock-wave-like light appears.
A hand petting an aibo's chin.
The aibo closes its eyes.
And opens its eyes again. The light changes its shape to a circle.
A man in a hoodie gets close to an aibo and talks to it with a smile.

Three framed screens are leaned to a wall.
Those are aligned in equal intervals.
A woman in a white dress is looking at those screens.
On the screen, you can see the logo "Affinity in Autonomy" and a picture of skyscrapers.

The scene changes to a different exhibition venue.
A cube-shaped robot that looks like a steel box moves toward a group of visitors.
They are surprised by it.
Another cube-shaped robot moves toward a pair (of a man and a woman) of visitors.
On the background of the image of the couple looking at each other with smiles, the subtitles, 'Interaction <05>' and 'Association' are displayed.

A man wearing a collared shirt under a sweater is interviewed in the exhibition venue.
The man speaks, using his hand gestures as well.

On-screen text
Yuto Ishizu
Designer
Creative Center

Ishizu speaks.

Ishizu
"At first it just appears to be an ordinary cube.
Then it approaches, raises its top, and prompts the visitor to respond to a survey.
Visitors feel the need to respond because the robot has acknowledged their presence.
Part of our objective was to elicit this kind of emotional response."

A cube-shaped robot raises its top part slowly.
A woman having a bun hairstyle is surprised by the robot's move. Then she smiles.
Some people around her are watching the move too.
A woman in a suit explains the move to her.
A bearded man putting his glasses on his forehead is looking down and smiling.
A woman with a ponytail picks up a touch pen placed on top of a cube-shaped robot.
A man and a woman are looking into the built-in display on top of a cube-shaped robot.
One of the two, the man is wearing glasses. He writes into the display with a touch pen.
Another one of the two, the woman next to him is watching that.
The scene of the man writing and the woman watching it is reflected on top of the robot.
A man carrying a backpack writes into a built-in display on top of a robot.
Some men and women with smiles are surrounding the robot.

In the exhibition venue, a man wearing glasses is interviewed.

On-screen text
Kohei Kojima
Robotics Software Engineer
R&D Center

Kojima speaks.

Kojima
"The intelligence to make environment-based decisions and to move in response to humans, combined with the technology to correctly control those functions.
All these things were integrated into one cohesive work for this exhibit."

Things like triangles and mathematical formulas are shown on a display one after another.
The reflection of a bearded man writing with a touch pen is shown on a built-in display.
A man wearing a down jacket is about to write into a built-in display with a touch pen.
A gray-haired woman wearing glasses next to him is watching that.
With that touch pen, he writes a heart mark into the display.
A woman carrying a shoulder bag is writing some words into a built-in display.

In the exhibition venue, a group of visitors are interviewed.

Visitor 1
"We often view technological progress as negative. What was wonderful about this exhibit is how it shows technology in a positive light."
Visitor 2
"Very inspiring, eye-opening, visionary…looking at the future, at this day. Very interesting."
Visitor 3
"Someday I will probably own one of these robots. So I think my dog needs to get ready for that!"
Visitor 4
"For someone my age, all this is simply unimaginable. It just goes to show, you learn something new every day!"

Ishii speaks.

Ishii
"We wanted to show people robots aren't a threat to humans but can be a natural, intimate part of our everyday lives.
It's very gratifying to see visitors smile and their eyes light up when interacting with robots.
We've had an amazing response to the exhibit."

A girl is in front of a cage-like sphere.
She moves her hand widely to see how the pendulum inside the sphere reacts.
A bearded man touches the sphere and smiles as he sees how the pendulum moves.
A cube-shaped robot gets close to a woman in a dress with a classic flower pattern style.
Three men are surrounding an aibo.
One of the men is taking a picture of the aibo with a smartphone.
A boy wearing glasses is laying on the floor with his chin rested on his both hands. He is watching a ball-shaped robot that is getting closer to him.
A young boy looks surprised by something.
An elderly man wearing glasses pets an aibo and smiles.
A boy in his mother's arms looks at an aibo and smiles.

In the exhibition venue, Ishii speaks.

Ishii
"As designers, the process of creating something people can experience is very meaningful for us.
This has been a chance to take a step beyond our usual fields.
The fact we were able to make this experiential exhibit work will be a source of inspiration for us moving forward."

A girl passes her hand over a light.
The blue-green light illuminates her face.
Yashiro is explaining in front of a cage-like sphere.
Arai is talking with two women standing next to an aibo.
Ishii explains using his gestures to a woman wearing a scarf.
Ishizu has a remote control in his hand. He is talking to a pair of visitors: a man and a woman.
Kojima is explaining about a cube-shaped robot to a woman and a man wearing a knit hat.
The backs of a woman and a girl on their way home.
A woman in a suit sees them off.

A passage leading to the entrance of the hall.
Many visitors are walking in a line.
Outside the building; its appearance is shown.
Some people goes in, some people goes out.
A big banner designed with the logo "Affinity in Autonomy" is hanging down from the ceiling. On the bottom of the banner, you can see Sony's logo.

Movie ends with Sony's logo.