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208 Socially Intelligent AgentsChildren write stories using My PETS. A simple parsing function detectswords that match its list of emotional keys. As My PETS recites the story(using text-to-speech), and recognizes an emotion, it issues the correspondingsequence of motion commands to the robot.PETS supports the reactive and sequencing layers of a multi-tiered architecture(e.g., [4]). The reactive layer is written in Interactive C for the HandyBoard microcontroller [17]. The sequencing layer, written in RealBasic, is embeddedinto My Pets, and runs on a Macintosh Powerbook. The two roboticcomponents communicate with My Pets through custom-built RF transceivers.The robot contains two distinct components, the “animal” and the “spaceship.”Both are made from polycarbonate sheets and steel posts. Servomotors on theanimal controls its mouth, neck, and limbs. The spaceship uses two modifiedhigh-torque servomotors to drive independent wheels.Our current work uses a new version of PETS as a motivational tool forchildren with disabilities to complete their physical therapy [22].5. Our Second Project: Storyrooms And StorykitsThe transition from storytelling robots to storytelling environments was influencedby the limits of robots as actors. Although a physical robot can bean actor, some story elements are either inconceivable or awkward to express.While the robot can project sadness or happiness, it might have difficulty suggestingthat “it was a dark and stormy night.”In the summer of 1999, we began work on a technology that would enablechildren to construct their own physical interactive environments. The lessonswe learned from PETS, such as sequencing physical events to form abstractideas, formed the foundation of this new research focus. We believed thatchildren can construct their own StoryRooms from using parts inside a StoryKit[1], and that through interactions within this environment visitors can have anew kind of storytelling experience.Using a prototype StoryKit, we built a StoryRoom based on the Dr. Seussstory, “The Sneetches” [14]. This is a story about the Sneetches that livedon a beach. Some had stars on their bellies, while others did not. The starbelliedSneetches believed they were better than the plain-bellied ones. Oneday, Mr. Sylvester McMonkey McBean arrived and advertized that his inventionscould put a star on any plain bellies for just three dollars a piece. Ofcourse, the plain-bellied Sneetches jumped at this opportunity. The previously“better” Sneetches became upset as there was no way to tell them apart! Notsurprisingly, Mr. McBean had another machine that took stars off too. As theSneetches cycle through both machines, one group wanting to be different, theother wanting to be the same, they squandered all their money. Ultimately they