1,657 research outputs found
Metaphors Matter: Top-Down Effects on Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism, or the attribution of human mental states and characteristics to non-human entities, has been widely demonstrated to be cued automatically by certain bottom-up appearance and behavioral features in machines. In this thesis, I argue that the potential for top-down effects to influence anthropomorphism has so far been underexplored. I motivate and then report the results of a new empirical study suggesting that top-down linguistic cues, including anthropomorphic metaphors, personal pronouns, and other grammatical constructions, increase anthropomorphism of a robot. As robots and other machines become more integrated into human society and our daily lives, more thorough understanding of the process of anthropomorphism becomes more critical: the cues that cause it, the human behaviors elicited, the underlying mechanisms in human cognition, and the implications of our influenced thought, talk, and treatment of robots for our social and ethical frameworks. In these regards, as I argue in this thesis and as the results of the new empirical study suggest, the top-down effects matter
Machine Performers: Agents in a Multiple Ontological State
In this thesis, the author explores and develops new attributes for machine
performers and merges the trans-disciplinary fields of the performing arts and artificial
intelligence. The main aim is to redefine the term âembodimentâ for robots on the
stage and to demonstrate that this term requires broadening in various fields of
research. This redefining has required a multifaceted theoretical analysis of
embodiment in the field of artificial intelligence (e.g. the uncanny valley), as well as
the construction of new robots for the stage by the author. It is hoped that these
practical experimental examples will generate more research by others in similar
fields.
Even though the historical lineage of robotics is engraved with theatrical
strategies and dramaturgy, further application of constructive principles from the
performing arts and evidence from psychology and neurology can shift the perception
of robotic agents both on stage and in other cultural environments. In this light, the
relation between representation, movement and behaviour of bodies has been further
explored to establish links between constructed bodies (as in artificial intelligence)
and perceived bodies (as performers on the theatrical stage). In the course of this
research, several practical works have been designed and built, and subsequently
presented to live audiences and research communities. Audience reactions have been
analysed with surveys and discussions. Interviews have also been conducted with
choreographers, curators and scientists about the value of machine performers.
The main conclusions from this study are that fakery and mystification can be
used as persuasive elements to enhance agency. Morphologies can also be applied that
tightly couple brain and sensorimotor actions and lead to a stronger stage presence. In
fact, if this lack of presence is left out of human replicants, it causes an âuncannyâ
lack of agency. Furthermore, the addition of stage presence leads to stronger
identification from audiences, even for bodies dissimilar to their own. The author
demonstrates that audience reactions are enhanced by building these effects into
machine body structures: rather than identification through mimicry, this causes them
to have more unambiguously biological associations. Alongside these traits,
atmospheres such as those created by a cast of machine performers tend to cause even
more intensely visceral responses.
In this thesis, âembodimentâ has emerged as a paradigm shift â as well as
within this shift â and morphological computing has been explored as a method to
deepen this visceral immersion. Therefore, this dissertation considers and builds
machine performers as âtrueâ performers for the stage, rather than mere objects with
an aura. Their singular and customized embodiment can enable the development of
non-anthropocentric performances that encompass the abstract and conceptual patterns
in motion and generate â as from human performers â empathy, identification and
experiential reactions in live audiences
KEER2022
AvanttĂtol: KEER2022. DiversitiesDescripciĂł del recurs: 25 juliol 202
Designing companions, designing tools : social robots, developers, and the elderly in Japan
Ce mĂ©moire de maĂźtrise trace la gĂ©nĂ©alogie dâun robot social, de sa conception Ă ses diffĂ©rentes utilisations et la maniĂšre dont les utilisateurs interagissent avec. A partir dâun terrain de six mois dans une start-up et deux maisons de retraite au Japon, jâinterroge la crĂ©ation de Pepper, un robot social crĂ©e par la compagnie japonais SoftBank. Pepper a Ă©tĂ© crĂ©Ă© de façon Ă ĂȘtre humanoĂŻde mais pas trop, ainsi que perçu comme adorable et charmant. Par la suite, je dĂ©cris comment Pepper et dâautres robots sociaux sont utilisĂ©s, Ă la fois par des dĂ©veloppeurs, mais aussi par des personnes ĂągĂ©es, et je souligne une tension existante entre leur utilisation comme des compagnons et des outils. En me basant sur lâanthropologie ontologique et la phĂ©nomĂ©nologie, jâexamine la construction du robot comme une entitĂ© avec laquelle il est possible dâinteragir, notamment Ă cause de sa conception en tant quâacteur social, ontologiquement ambigu, et qui peut exprimer de lâaffect. En mâintĂ©ressant aux interactions multimodales, et en particulier le toucher, je classifie trois fonctions remplies par lâinteraction : dĂ©couverte, contrĂŽle, et lâexpression de lâaffect. Par la suite, je questionne ces actes dâagir vers et sâils peuvent ĂȘtre compris comme une interaction, puisquâils nâimpliquent pas que le robot soit engagĂ©. Jâargumente quâune interaction est un Ă©change de sens entre des agents engagĂ©s et incarnĂ©s. Il y a effectivement parfois un Ă©change de sens entre le robot et son utilisateur, et le robot est un artefact incarnĂ©. Cependant, seule lâimpression dâintersubjectivitĂ© est nĂ©cessaire Ă lâinteraction, plutĂŽt que sa rĂ©elle prĂ©sence.This masterâs thesis traces a genealogy of a social robot through its conception to its various uses and the ways users interact with it. Drawing on six months of fieldwork in a start-up and two nursing homes in Japan, I first investigate the genesis of a social robot created by SoftBank, a Japanese multinational telecommunications company. This social robot is quite humanlike, made to be cute and have an adorable personality. While developers constitute one of the user populations, this robot, along with several others, is also used by elderly residents in nursing homes. By analyzing the uses of these populations, I underline the tension between the social robot as a companion and a tool. Drawing on ontological anthropology and phenomenology I look at how the robot is constructed as an entity that can be interacted with, through its conception as an ontologically ambiguous, social actor, that can express affect. Looking at multimodal interaction, and especially touch, I then classify three functions they fulfill: discovery, control, and the expression of affect, before questioning whether this acting towards the robot that does not imply acting from the robot, can be considered a form of interaction. I argue that interaction is the exchange of meaning between embodied, engaged participants. Meaning can be exchanged between robots and humans and the robot can be seen as embodied, but only the appearance of intersubjectivity is enough, rather than its actual presence
Perceiving Sociable Technology: Exploring the Role of Anthropomorphism and Agency Perception on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
With the arrival of personal assistants and other AI-enabled autonomous technologies, social interactions with smart devices have become a part of our daily lives. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important to understand how these social interactions emerge, and why users appear to be influenced by them. For this reason, I explore questions on what the antecedents and consequences of this phenomenon, known as anthropomorphism, are as described in the extant literature from fields ranging from information systems to social neuroscience. I critically analyze those empirical studies directly measuring anthropomorphism and those referring to it without a corresponding measurement. Through a grounded theory approach, I identify common themes and use them to develop models for the antecedents and consequences of anthropomorphism. The results suggest anthropomorphism possesses both conscious and non-conscious components with varying implications. While conscious attributions are shown to vary based on individual differences, non-conscious attributions emerge whenever a technology exhibits apparent reasoning such as through non-verbal behavior like peer-to-peer mirroring or verbal paralinguistic and backchanneling cues. Anthropomorphism has been shown to affect usersâ self-perceptions, perceptions of the technology, how users interact with the technology, and the usersâ performance. Examples include changes in a usersâ trust on the technology, conformity effects, bonding, and displays of empathy. I argue these effects emerge from changes in usersâ perceived agency, and their self- and social- identity similarly to interactions between humans. Afterwards, I critically examine current theories on anthropomorphism and present propositions about its nature based on the results of the empirical literature. Subsequently, I introduce a two-factor model of anthropomorphism that proposes how an individual anthropomorphizes a technology is dependent on how the technology was initially perceived (top-down and rational or bottom-up and automatic), and whether it exhibits a capacity for agency or experience. I propose that where a technology lays along this spectrum determines how individuals relates to it, creating shared agency effects, or changing the usersâ social identity. For this reason, anthropomorphism is a powerful tool that can be leveraged to support future interactions with smart technologies
An integrative review of sensory marketing: Engaging the senses to affect perception, judgment and behavior
I define âsensory marketingâ as âmarketing that engages the consumersâ senses and affects their perception, judgment and behavior.â From a managerial perspective, sensory marketing can be used to create subconscious triggers that characterize consumer perceptions of abstract notions of the product (e.g., its sophistication or quality). Given the gamut of explicit marketing appeals made to consumers every day, subconscious triggers which appeal to the basic senses may be a more efficient way to engage consumers. Also, these sensory triggers may result in consumersâ selfâgeneration of (desirable) brand attributes, rather than those verbally provided by the advertiser. The understanding of these sensory triggers implies an understanding of sensation and perception as it applies to consumer behaviorâthis is the research perspective of sensory marketing. This review article presents an overview of research on sensory perception. The review also points out areas where little research has been done, so that each additional paper has a greater chance of making a bigger difference and sparking further research. It is quite apparent from the review that there still remains tremendous need for research within the domain of sensory marketingâresearch that can be very impactful.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142108/1/jcpy332.pd
Machine Sensation
Emphasising the alien qualities of anthropomorphic technologies, Machine Sensation makes a conscious effort to increase rather than decrease the tension between nonhuman and human experience. In a series of rigorously executed cases studies, including natural user interfaces, artificial intelligence as well as sex robots, Leach shows how object-oriented ontology enables one to insist upon the unhuman nature of technology while acknowledging its immense power and significance in human life. Machine Sensation meticulously engages OOO, Actor Network Theory, the philosophy of technology, cybernetics and posthumanism in innovative and gripping ways
Design and semantics of form and movement (DeSForM 2006)
Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM) grew from applied research exploring emerging design methods and practices to support new generation product and interface design. The products and interfaces are concerned with: the context of ubiquitous computing and ambient technologies and the need for greater empathy in the pre-programmed behaviour of the âmachinesâ that populate our lives. Such explorative research in the CfDR has been led by Young, supported by Kyffin, Visiting Professor from Philips Design and sponsored by Philips Design over a period of four years (research funding ÂŁ87k). DeSForM1 was the first of a series of three conferences that enable the presentation and debate of international work within this field: âą 1st European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM1), Baltic, Gateshead, 2005, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. âą 2nd European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM2), Evoluon, Eindhoven, 2006, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. âą 3rd European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM3), New Design School Building, Newcastle, 2007, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. Philips sponsorship of practice-based enquiry led to research by three teams of research students over three years and on-going sponsorship of research through the Northumbria University Design and Innovation Laboratory (nuDIL). Young has been invited on the steering panel of the UK Thinking Digital Conference concerning the latest developments in digital and media technologies. Informed by this research is the work of PhD student Yukie Nakano who examines new technologies in relation to eco-design textiles
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