A cape for Keepon

I first hinted at the robot project a few months ago. I had been approached, via Twitter, by Carol Reiley, a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University.  This project was going to be a surprise for Carol's friend, roboticist Marek Michalowski, Keepon the robot's co-creator, programmer, and wrangler. Carol asked if I'd be interested in designing and creating cute, knitted accessories for Keepon. After learning more about the bright, little 'bot, I became a big fan.  I said, "Yes!"

What's a Keepon?  Well... Keepon starred in this YouTube video a few years ago.

Keepon's day job, however, is working with children, especially those who are autistic or otherwise developmentally challenged.  Keepon engages children, encouraging them to make eye contact and interact.

What to knit a robot with such important work? I decided to go with a superhero theme. But not a real superhero.  Keepon would be a pretend superhero in a homemade cape of traffic cone orange. A matching sweatband, too!

Keepon's stand-in, the knitting machine, and me

Keepon is relatively small.  The work went quickly. I knitted perle cotton in a basic pin tuck stitch for the cape and a plain full needle rib for the band.

And now the reveal < drum roll >:  Keepon as superhero!

Read "Wherein Keepon fans are a crafty lot" to see other Keepon craft projects.  To learn more about Keepon, please check out this recent feature story in Carnegie Mellon Today.