1,232 research outputs found
Communicative Robot Signals: Presenting a New Typology for Human-Robot Interaction
Š 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/We present a new typology for classifying signals from robots when they communicate with humans. For inspiration, we use ethology, the study of animal behaviour and previous efforts from literature as guides in defining the typology. The typology is based on communicative signals that consist of five properties: the origin where the signal comes from, the deliberateness of the signal, the signal's reference, the genuineness of the signal, and its clarity (i.e. how implicit or explicit it is). Using the accompanying worksheet, the typology is straightforward to use to examine communicative signals from previous human-robot interactions and provides guidance for designers to use the typology when designing new robot behaviours
People Can Be So Fake: A New Dimension to Privacy and Technology Scholarship
This article updates the traditional discussion of privacy and technology, focused since the days of Warren and Brandeis on the capacity of technology to manipulate information. It proposes a novel dimension to the impact of anthropomorphic or social design on privacy.
Technologies designed to imitate people-through voice, animation, and natural language-are increasingly commonplace, showing up in our cars, computers, phones, and homes. A rich literature in communications and psychology suggests that we are hardwired to react to such technology as though a person were actually present. Social interfaces accordingly capture our attention, improve interactivity, and can free up our hands for other tasks.
At the same time, technologies that imitate people have the potential to implicate long-standing privacy values. One of the well-documented effects on users of interfaces and devices that emulate people is the sensation of being observed and evaluated. Their presence can alter our attitude, behavior, and physiological state. Widespread adoption of such technology may accordingly lessen opportunities for solitude and chill curiosity and self-development. These effects are all the more dangerous in that they cannot be addressed through traditional privacy protections such as encryption or anonymization. At the same time, the unique properties of social technology also present an opportunity to improve privacy, particularly online
Autonomous behaviour in tangible user interfaces as a design factor
PhD ThesisThis thesis critically explores the design space of autonomous and actuated artefacts, considering
how autonomous behaviours in interactive technologies might shape and influence usersâ
interactions and behaviours.
Since the invention of gearing and clockwork, mechanical devices were built that both fascinate
and intrigue people through their mechanical actuation. There seems to be something magical
about moving devices, which draws our attention and piques our interest. Progress in the
development of computational hardware is allowing increasingly complex commercial products
to be available to broad consumer-markets. New technologies emerge very fast, ranging from
personal devices with strong computational power to diverse user interfaces, like multi-touch
surfaces or gestural input devices. Electronic systems are becoming smaller and smarter, as they
comprise sensing, controlling and actuation. From this, new opportunities arise in integrating
more sensors and technology in physical objects.
These trends raise some specific questions around the impacts smarter systems might have
on people and interaction: how do people perceive smart systems that are tangible and what
implications does this perception have for user interface design? Which design opportunities are
opened up through smart systems? There is a tendency in humans to attribute life-like qualities
onto non-animate objects, which evokes social behaviour towards technology. Maybe it would be
possible to build user interfaces that utilise such behaviours to motivate people towards frequent
use, or even motivate them to build relationships in which the users care for their devices. Their
aim is not to increase the efficiency of user interfaces, but to create interfaces that are more
engaging to interact with and excite people to bond with these tangible objects.
This thesis sets out to explore autonomous behaviours in physical interfaces. More specifically, I
am interested in the factors that make a user interpret an interface as autonomous. Through a
review of literature concerned with animated objects, autonomous technology and robots, I have
mapped out a design space exploring the factors that are important in developing autonomous
interfaces. Building on this and utilising workshops conducted with other researchers, I have
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developed a framework that identifies key elements for the design of Tangible Autonomous
Interfaces (TAIs). To validate the dimensions of this framework and to further unpack the
impacts on users of interacting with autonomous interfaces I have adopted a âresearch through
designâ approach. I have iteratively designed and realised a series of autonomous, interactive
prototypes, which demonstrate the potential of such interfaces to establish themselves as social
entities. Through two deeper case studies, consisting of an actuated helium balloon and desktop
lamp, I provide insights into how autonomy could be implemented into Tangible User Interfaces.
My studies revealed that through their autonomous behaviour (guided by the framework) these
devices established themselves, in interaction, as social entities. They furthermore turned out to
be acceptable, especially if people were able to find a purpose for them in their lives. This thesis
closes with a discussion of findings and provides specific implications for design of autonomous
behaviour in interfaces
Design of a Huggable Social Robot with Affective Expressions Using Projected Images
We introduce Pepita, a caricatured huggable robot capable of sensing and conveying affective expressions by means of tangible gesture recognition and projected avatars. This study covers the design criteria, implementation and performance evaluation of the different characteristics of the form and function of this robot. The evaluation involves: (1) the exploratory study of the different features of the device, (2) design and performance evaluation of sensors for affective interaction employing touch, and (3) design and implementation of affective feedback using projected avatars. Results showed that the hug detection worked well for the intended application and the affective expressions made with projected avatars were appropriated for this robot. The questionnaires analyzing usersâ perception provide us with insights to guide the future designs of similar interfaces
Exploring behaviours perceived as important for humanâdog bonding and their translation to a robotic platform
To facilitate long-term engagement with social robots, emerging evidence suggests that modelling robots on social animals with whom many people form enduring social bondsâspecifically, pet dogsâmay be useful. However, scientific understanding of the features of pet dogs that are important for establishing and maintaining social bonds remains limited to broad qualities that are liked, as opposed to specific behaviours. To better understand dog behaviours that are perceived as important for facilitating social bonds between owner and pet, we surveyed current dog owners (n = 153) with open-ended questions about their dogsâ behaviours. Thematic analysis identified 7 categories of behaviours perceived as important to humanâdog bonding, including: 1) attunement, 2) communication, 3) consistency and predictability, 4) physical affection, 5) positivity and enthusiasm, 6) proximity, and 7) shared activities. We consider the feasibility of translating these behaviours into a social robotic platform, and signpost potential barriers moving forward. In addition to providing insight into important behaviours for humanâdog bonding, this work provides a springboard for those hoping to implement dog behaviours into animal-like artificial agents designed for social roles
Working with an Autonomous Interface: Exploring the Output Space of an Interactive Desktop Lamp
Increasing sophistication and ubiquity of digital devices is creating potential for the development of new kinds of actuated interfaces. In this paper, we explore the design space around movement as a form of gestural communication for information output, in simple actuated desktop devices. We were curious as to how people might envision interacting with autonomous technology in the office. Accordingly, we focused our attentions on one prevalent desktop object, an interactive lamp, with three actuated joints, which allowed us to explore the interaction space of such devices. We invited 13 participants to design and enact movements with the lamp to communicate 20 simple messages. We explored a subset of these generated gestures, using the lamp as a personal cueing device in an office setting with 14 new participants. We present our qualitative findings from both studies that let users imagine the usage of an interactive desktop lamp through actuation
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
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