"Involving Interface": An Extended Mind Theoretical Approach to Roboethics

In 2008 the authors held Involving Interface, a lively interdisciplinary event focusing on issues of biological, sociocultural, and technological interfacing (see Acknowledgments). Inspired by discussions at this event, in this article, we further discuss the value of input from neuroscience for developing robots and machine interfaces, and the value of philosophy, the humanities, and the arts for identifying persistent links between human interfacing and broader ethical concerns. The importance of ongoing interdisciplinary debate and public communication on scientific and technical advances is also highlighted. Throughout, the authors explore the implications of the extended mind hypothesis for notions of moral accountability and robotics

Artificial Identity: Representations of Robots and Cyborgs in Contemporary Anglo-American Science Fiction Films

The ‘human condition’ has traditionally been an area of study addressed primarily by philosophers concerned with the mind/body problem, rather than studied as a neuroscientific conundrum. However, contemporary developments in science and technology that afford us a greater knowledge of the human brain have resulted in an increased scientific focus on consciousness, emotion and personhood. This thesis argues that such explorations into consciousness and emotion as prerequisites of ‘artificial identity’ have entered the domain of contemporary cinema through the representations of robots and cyborgs. Despite the capacity for transhumanist practice and the creation of artificially intelligent automata that these developments have made possible, blurring the line between organic human and mechanical robots, it remains common for no distinctions to be made between the terms ‘human’ and ‘person’, which are used interchangeably to describe a member of the human race. Philosopher Daniel C. Dennett, though, has proposed a series of criteria for personhood that challenge the assumption that only humans can be considered persons. The application of his criteria to a series of key texts that highlight the relationships between humans and representations of automata - I, Robot (2004, Dir. Alex Proyas), Terminator Salvation (2009, Dir. McG) and Bicentennial Man (1999, Dir. Chris Columbus) – is central to this thesis. It explores the extent to which the representations of robots and cyborgs can be considered persons within utopian and dystopian narratives that have, at their core, a view of artificial identity as desirable or as nightmare. In conjunction with Dennett, the theories of neurologist and neuroscientist Antonio Damasio are applied, which explore both the biological means by which emotional (rather than solely physical) feelings are generated in humans, and the capacity of humans to simulate emotion. As Damasio argues that many of the central operations of the human central nervous and visceral systems are reducible to fundamental physics, the suggestion is that robots, too, could also ‘experience’ consciousness and emotion, being as they are very simplistic versions of humans. As such, the application of these theories suggests that the representations of robots and cyborgs in the key texts could be considered persons

Putting a Face on Algorithms: Personas for Modeling Artificial Intelligence

We propose a new type of personas, artificial intelligence (AI) personas, as a tool for designing systems consisting of both human and AI agents. Personas are commonly used in design practices for modelling users. We argue that the personification of AI agents can help multidisciplinary teams in understanding and designing systems that include AI agents. We propose a process for creating AI personas and the properties they should include, and report on our first experience using them. The case we selected for our exploration of AI personas was the design of a highly automated decision support tool for air traffic control. Our first results indicate that AI personas helped designers to empathise with algorithms and enabled better communication within a team of designers and AI and domain experts. We call for a research agenda on AI personas and discussions on potential benefits and pitfalls of this approach.acceptedVersio

On the Relationship between People, Objects, & Interactive Technologies: Transforming Digital & Physical experiences through the process of Realizing Empathy

La manera com les persones es relacionen amb el seu entorn, ja sigui físic o digital, és cada cop més complexa i fugaç, fent que la relació de l'usuari amb els seus objectes i eines digitals, de vegades, sigui extrema i de curta durada. Tanmateix, la propietat d'objectes i objectes tecnològics interactius no és buida de significat, són mostres de reflexió i representació per als altres i del seu paper a la societat. La clau per mantenir una relació i el significat amb aquests objectes rau en el disseny i la intenció de l'experiència interactiva creada. Inspirats en les disciplines de la psicologia, el procés de disseny, la interacció humà-ordinador i els models de negoci, aquesta tesi explora, analitza, crea i prova els fonaments teòrics sobre l'empatia i el concepte d'entaular una relació de llarga durada entre les persones i les tecnologies interactives.  Amb aquesta finalitat, aquesta tesi es divideix en 4 fases: (1) l’estudi en profunditat de les referències bibliogràfiques dins del sector HCI, amb especial atenció al rol del disseny i la psicologia amb la intenció de respondre preguntes com: “Com podem construir relacions de llarga durada entre persones i objectes intel·ligents?” (2) Recopilar i adoptar definicions, eines i terminologia de treballs relacionats que aportin a la construcció de la contribució principal d'aquesta tesi, (3) Crear i presentar un model d'interacció entre persones i tecnologia que aporti a una interacció de llarga durada, i (4) presentar un cas d’estudi on s’implementi el model proposat.  Després del treball bibliogràfic, al sector de l'HCI, s'ha identificat un buit, fruit de les principals preocupacions expressades: la manca de connexió entre la teoria i la pràctica del disseny, així com una mancança en l’àmbit de l'Empatia. El resultat fa que molts dels models d’interacció amb intenció empàtica i afectiva no se sustentin entre si. Això ens ha portat a la segona fase de la tesi on aprofitem les referències de múltiples disciplines per estudiar què és l'empatia, com s'implementa, com es percep i com evoluciona cap a l'objectiu d'una relació a llarg termini, com a punt focal cap a les principals contribucions de la tesi. .  Després de reunir i analitzar exhaustivament les referències al voltant de l'empatia, entrem a la tercera fase on presentem el model teòric d'interacció amb el potencial d'establir una interacció a llarg termini i l’anomenat Procés de realització de l'empatia (RE). Més que intentar definir què és l'empatia, aquesta proposta intenta oferir una perspectiva diferent de l'empatia i visualitza el seu abast com un procés influenciat per models de diàleg i col·laboració amb el propòsit de crear comprensió mútua i donar significat a aquest intercanvi.  Amb un model clar i una sòlida base teòrica, la fase final de la tesi cerca provar el model proposat amb l'objectiu d'observar si es poden detectar indicadors d'afecció afectiva i confiança entre una persona i el seu objecte tecnològic. En aquest cas, vam tenir l'oportunitat de treballar amb robots socials com el nostre “altre actor” per dissenyar les proves del model. Aquestes proves pretenien capturar els indicadors d'empatia entre un humà i un robot que abraça: l'aferrament afectiu, la confiança, la regulació de les expectatives i la reflexió sobre la perspectiva de l'altre dins un conjunt d'estratègies de col·laboració. Plantegem la hipòtesi que una estratègia de col·laboració activa condueix a un compromís més significatiu de generar empatia entre un humà i un robot en comparació amb una estratègia passiva. Els resultats són encoratjadors i clarament estableixen un camí per a futures investigacions sobre el disseny d'aquest model. La forma en que las personas se relacionan con su entorno, ya sea físico o digital, se vuelve cada vez más compleja y fugaz, haciendo que la relación del usuario con sus objetos y herramientas digitales, en ocasiones, sea extrema y de corta duración. Sin embargo, la propiedad de objetos y objetos tecnológicos interactivos no es vacía de significado, son muestras de reflexión y representación para los demás y de su papel en la sociedad. La clave para mantener una relación y significado con estos objetos radica en el diseño y la intención de la experiencia interactiva creada. Inspirados en las disciplinas de la psicología, el proceso de diseño, la interacción humano-ordenador y los modelos de negocio, esta tesis explora, analiza, crea y prueba los fundamentos teóricos sobre la empatía y el concepto de entablar una relación de larga duración entre las personas y las tecnologías interactivas.  Con este fin, esta tesis se divide en 4 fases: (1) estudio en profundidad de las referencias bibliográficas dentro del sector HCI, con especial atención al rol del diseño y la psicología con la intención de responder a preguntas como: “¿Cómo podemos construir relaciones de larga duración entre personas y objetos inteligentes?”(2) Recopilar y adoptar definiciones, herramientas y terminología de trabajos relacionados que aporten a la construcción de la contribución principal de esta tesis, (3) Crear y presentar un modelo de interacción entre personas y tecnología que aporte a una interacción de larga duración, y (4) presentar un caso de estudio donde se implemente el modelo propuesto.  Tras el trabajo bibliográfico en el sector del HCI se ha identificado un vacío, fruto de las principales preocupaciones expresadas: la falta de conexión entre la teoría y la práctica del diseño, así como una falta en el tema de la Empatía. El resultado hace que muchos de los modelos de interacción con intención empática y afectiva no se sustenten entre sí. Esto nos ha llevado a la segunda fase de la tesis en la que aprovechamos las referencias de múltiples disciplinas para estudiar qué es la empatía, cómo se implementa, cómo se percibe y cómo evoluciona hacia el objetivo de una relación a largo plazo, como punto focal hacia las principales contribuciones de la tesis. .  Después de una reunir y analizar exhaustivamente las referencias en torno a la empatía, entramos en la tercera fase donde presentamos el modelo teórico de interacción con el potencial de entablar una interacción a largo plazo y denominado Proceso de realización de la empatía (RE). Más que intentar definir qué es la empatía, esta propuesta trata de ofrecer una perspectiva diferente a la empatía y visualiza su alcance como un proceso influenciado por modelos de diálogo y colaboración con el propósito de crear comprensión mutua y dar significado a ese intercambio.  Con un modelo claro y una sólida base teórica, la fase final de la tesis busca probar el modelo propuesto con el objetivo de observar si el modelo puede detectar indicadores de Apego Afectivo y Confianza entre una persona y su objeto tecnológico. En el caso de este trabajo, tuvimos la oportunidad de trabajar con robots sociales como nuestro “otro actor” para diseñar las pruebas del modelo. Estas pruebas pretendían capturar los indicadores de de empatía entre un humano y un robot que abarca: el apego afectivo, la confianza, la regulación de las expectativas y la reflexión sobre la perspectiva del otro dentro de un conjunto de estrategias de colaboración. Planteamos la hipótesis de que una estrategia de colaboración activa conduce a un compromiso más significativo de generar empatía entre un humano y un robot en comparación con una estrategia pasiva. Los resultados son alentadores y claramente establecen un camino para futuras investigaciones sobre el diseño de este modelo. How people engage with their surroundings, whether physical or digital, becomes increasingly complex and rapid, making the user’s relationship with their objects and digital tools, at times, extreme and short-lived. Yet, there is still meaning in ownership of objects and interactive technological objects, they are tokens of reflection and representation to others and their role in society. The key to sustaining a relationship and sense of meaning with these objects lies in the design and intention of the interactive experience created. Inspired by disciplines of psychology, design, Human-computer interaction, and business modeling, this thesis explored, analyzed, created, and tested theoretical foundations on Empathy and the concept of initiating a long-term relationship between people and their interactive technologies.  To that end, the thesis book was managed in 4 main stages: (1) presenting a deeper dive into bibliographic references within HCI and the role of both design and psychology in the attempt to tackle questions like: “How can we build long-term relationships between people and their smart objects?” (2) Collect and adopt from related works that helped build the main contributions of the thesis book, (3) Create an interaction model between humans and their technology that lent itself for potential long-term engagement, and (4) a case study that implemented and instantiated the model designed.     After mapping the HCI bibliographical works in the first phase, a gap was revealed indicative of the main concerns expressed: a lack of connection between theory and design practice as well as a lack in the topic of Empathy. The result makes many of the models of interaction with empathetic and affective intention unsupported between each other. This has led us to the second phase of the thesis where we leveraged references across multiple disciplines to survey what empathy is, how it is implemented, perceived and evolved toward the goal of long-term relationship, as a focal point toward the main thesis contributions.   After an exhaustive gathering and analysis of the work around Empathy, we entered the third phase where we present the proposed theoretical model of interaction with the potential for long-term engagement named the Process of Realizing Empathy (RE). Rather than attempting to further define empathy, this proposal is about offering a different perspective to empathy that visualizes its scope as a process influenced by dialogue and collaborative models with the goal to reach meaning between the actors involved.  With a clear model in place and a strong theoretical foundation, the final phase of the thesis looked to test the proposed model with the goal of observing if the model can provoke its indicators of Affective Attachment and Trust between a person and their technological object. In the case of this thesis work, we had the opportunity to work with social robots as our “other actor” to design the tests for the model. This testbed meant to capture the indicators of early empathy realization between a human and a robot encompassing affective attachment, trust, expectation regulation, and reflecting on the other’s perspective within a set of collaborative strategies. We hypothesized that an active collaboration strategy is conducive to a more meaningful and purposeful engagement of realizing empathy between a human and a robot compared to a passive one. The results are encouraging and clearly establish a path for further research on this model’s design.

Children’s imaginaries of human-robot interaction in healthcare

This paper analyzes children’s imaginaries of Human-Robots Interaction (HRI) in the context of social robots in healthcare, and it explores ethical and social issues when designing a social robot for a children’s hospital. Based on approaches that emphasize the reciprocal relationship between society and technology, the analytical force of imaginaries lies in their capacity to be embedded in practices and interactions as well as to affect the construction and applications of surrounding technologies. The study is based on a participatory process carried out with six-year-old children for the design of a robot. Imaginaries of HRI are analyzed from a care-centered approach focusing on children’s values and practices as related to their representation of care. The conceptualization of HRI as an assemblage of interactions, the prospective bidirectional care relationships with robots, and the engagement with the robot as an entity of multiple potential robots are the major findings of this study. The study shows the potential of studying imaginaries of HRI, and it concludes that their integration in the final design of robots is a way of including ethical values in itPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Trigger Points of Fear and Distrust in Human-Robot Interaction: The Case of Cooperative Manufacturing

Digital technology is becoming ubiquitous and embedded as an integrated part of our daily lives, in which the digital and the physical worlds are increasingly interconnected and intertwined. While advanced technology can provide tremendous benefits and opportunities, it can also be very complex and challenging to understand, potentially leading to fear, suspicion, and distrust. This paper investigates a case of human-robot interaction in cooperative manufacturing, focusing on understanding how operators, managers and viewers feel about cooperating with industrial robots using potentially dangerous tools like nail guns. The aim of the study is to identify how human reactions to technology-induced change can be understood. The research question is: how can different trigger points of fear or distrust in technology be understood in the context of human-robot interaction? The findings reveal three key factors in overcoming fear, creating trust and encouraging interaction: knowledge, control, and self-preservation. The main contribution is illustrated through suggested guidelines for aspects that have to be practically considered when building this type of flexible robot cell for interacting with industrial robots in a real setting

Virtual Reality Games for Motor Rehabilitation

This paper presents a fuzzy logic based method to track user satisfaction without the need for devices to monitor users physiological conditions. User satisfaction is the key to any product’s acceptance; computer applications and video games provide a unique opportunity to provide a tailored environment for each user to better suit their needs. We have implemented a non-adaptive fuzzy logic model of emotion, based on the emotional component of the Fuzzy Logic Adaptive Model of Emotion (FLAME) proposed by El-Nasr, to estimate player emotion in UnrealTournament 2004. In this paper we describe the implementation of this system and present the results of one of several play tests. Our research contradicts the current literature that suggests physiological measurements are needed. We show that it is possible to use a software only method to estimate user emotion