Do It Yourself, but Not Alone: Companion-Technology for Home Improvement—Bringing a Planning-Based Interactive DIY Assistant to Life

Abstract

We report on the technology transfer project “Do it yourself, but not alone: Companion -Technology for Home Improvement” that was carried out by Ulm University in cooperation with Robert Bosch GmbH. We developed a prototypical assistance system that assists a Do It Yourself (DIY) handyman in carrying out DIY projects. The assistant, based on various AI and dialog management capabilities, generates a sequence of detailed instructions that users may just follow or adapt according to their individual preferences. It features explanation capabilities as well as pro-active support based on communication with the user as well as with the involved tools. We report on the project’s main achievements, including the findings of various empirical studies conducted in various development stages of the prototype.