Prototyping Realistic Long-Term Human-Robot Interaction for the Study of Agent Migration

Kheng Koay, Dag Sverre Syrdal and Kerstin Dautenhahn, 'Prototyping Realistic Long-Term Human-Robot Interaction for the Study of Agent Migration', paper presented at the IEEE International Symposium . Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA, 26-31 August 2016.This paper examines participants’ experiences of interacting with a robotic companion (agent) that has the ability to move its “mind” between different robotic embodiments to take advantage of the features and functionalities associated with the different embodiments in a process called agent migration. In particular, we focus on identifying factors that can help the companion retain its identity in different embodiments. This includes examining the clarity of the migration behaviour and how this behaviour may contribute to identity retention. Nine participants took part in a long-term study, and interacted with the robotic companion in the smart house twice-weekly over a period of 5 weeks. We used Narrative-based Integrated Episodic Scenario (NIES) framework for designing long-term interaction scenarios that provided habituation and intervention phases while conveying the impression of continuous long-term interaction. The results show that NEIS allows us to explore complex intervention scenarios and obtain a sense of continuity of context across the long-term study. The results also suggest that as participants become habituated with the companion, they found the realisation of migration signaling clearer, and felt more certain of the identity of the companion in later sessions, and that the most important factor for this was the agent’s continuation of tasks across embodiments. This paper is both empirical as well as methodological in nature.Non peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

La critique théâtrale de Chikamatsu Monzaemon et sa relation à la Vallée de l’étrange

Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1724) est le dramaturge le plus célèbre du Japon. Sa seule contribution connue à la critique théâtrale, un entretien avec Hozumi Ikan (1738), est traduite ici en français pour la première fois. Il présente sa théorie du réalisme, illustrée par des exemples tirés du théâtre de marionnettes et du kabuki, comme un guide pour écrire de grandes pièces. Chikamatsu divise le réalisme en quatre zones : l’irréel, le réalisme conceptuel, le réalisme de surface et le réel. L’irréel manque d’authenticité, le réalisme de surface manque d’âme et le réel manque d’expressivité. Pour lui, seul le réalisme conceptuel est capable de captiver le public. Le réalisme conceptuel provoque l’empathie à travers la caractérisation, pour laisser la trame de l’histoire qui se déroule, guider naturellement les émotions. Dans le commentaire suivant, la théorie de Chikamatsu est comparée au concept de la vallée de l’étrange développé par Mori Masahiro (1970). La vallée de l’étrange prédit une affinité pour les humains et les robots, mais pas pour les robots qui semblent trop humains. Alors que Mori et Chikamatsu se confrontent tous les deux à la notion d’anthropomorphisme, nous voyons que la théorie de Chikamatsu peut également être utilisée dans la création de technologies interactives capables de susciter l’émerveillement.Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1724) is Japan’s most celebrated playwright. His only known contribution to theater criticism, an interview with Hozumi Ikan (1738), is translated here into French for the first time. It sets out his theory of realism, illustrated with examples from puppet theater and kabuki, as a guide to writing great plays. Chikamatsu partitions realism into four zones: the unreal, conceptual realism, surface realism, and the real. The unreal lacks authenticity; surface realism lacks soul; and the real lacks expressiveness. It is conceptual realism that captivates an audience. Conceptual realism evokes empathy through characterization to let unfolding events drive the emotions. In the commentary that follows, Chikamatsu’s theory is compared with Mori Masahiro’s (1970) concept of the uncanny valley. The uncanny valley predicts affinity for robots and humans but not for robots that appear too human. While both Mori and Chikamatsu probe anthropomorphism, Chikamatsu’s theory can also be used to design interactive technologies that delight

What makes a robot ‘social’?

Rhetorical moves that construct humanoid robots as social agents disclose tensions at the intersection of science and technology studies (STS) and social robotics. The discourse of robotics often constructs robots that are like us (and therefore unlike dumb artefacts). In the discourse of STS, descriptions of how people assimilate robots into their activities are presented directly or indirectly against the backdrop of Latour's actor-network theory, which prompts attributing agency to mundane artefacts. In contradistinction to both social robotics and STS, it is suggested here to view a capacity to partake in dialogical action (to have a 'voice') as necessary for regarding an artificial as authentically social. The theme is explored partly through a critical reinterpretation of an episode that Morana Alač reported and analysed towards demonstrating her bodies-in-interaction concept. This paper turns to 'body' with particular reference to Gibsonian affordances theory so as to identify the level of analysis at which dialogicality enters social interactions

Human emotions toward stimuli in the uncanny valley: laddering and index construction

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Human-looking computer interfaces, including humanoid robots and animated humans, may elicit in their users eerie feelings. This effect, often called the uncanny valley, emphasizes our heightened ability to distinguish between the human and merely humanlike using both perceptual and cognitive approaches. Although reactions to uncanny characters are captured more accurately with emotional descriptors (e.g., eerie and creepy) than with cognitive descriptors (e.g., strange), and although previous studies suggest the psychological processes underlying the uncanny valley are more perceptual and emotional than cognitive, the deep roots of the concept of humanness imply the application of category boundaries and cognitive dissonance in distinguishing among robots, androids, and humans. First, laddering interviews (N = 30) revealed firm boundaries among participants’ concepts of animated, robotic, and human. Participants associated human traits like soul, imperfect, or intended exclusively with humans, and they simultaneously devalued the autonomous accomplishments of robots (e.g., simple task, limited ability, or controlled). Jerky movement and humanlike appearance were associated with robots, even though the presented robotic stimuli were humanlike. The facial expressions perceived in robots as improper were perceived in animated characters as mismatched. Second, association model testing indicated that the independent evaluation based on the developed indices is a viable quantitative technique for the laddering interview. Third, from the interviews several candidate items for the eeriness index were validated in a large representative survey (N = 1,311). The improved eeriness index is nearly orthogonal to perceived humanness (r = .04). The improved indices facilitate plotting relations among rated characters of varying human likeness, enhancing perspectives on humanlike robot design and animation creation

Robotics in Germany and Japan

This book comprehends an intercultural and interdisciplinary framework including current research fields like Roboethics, Hermeneutics of Technologies, Technology Assessment, Robotics in Japanese Popular Culture and Music Robots. Contributions on cultural interrelations, technical visions and essays are rounding out the content of this book

Friend Me Your Ears: A Musical Approach to Human-Robot Relationships.

PhDA relationship is something that is necessarily built up over time, however, Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) trials are rarely extended beyond a single ses- sion. These studies are insufficient for examining multi-interaction scenarios, which will become commonplace if the robot is situated in a workplace or adopts a role that is part of a human's routine. Long term studies that have been exe- cuted often demonstrate a declining novelty effect. Music, however, provides an opportunity for affective engagement, shared creativity, and social activity. This being said, it is unlikely that a robot best equipped to build sustainable and meaningful relationships with humans will be one that can solely play music. In their day-to-day lives, most humans encounter machines and computer programs capable of executing impressively complex tasks to a high standard that may provide them with hours of engagement. In order to have anything that that could be classed as a social relationship, the human must have the sense that their interactions are taking place with another, a phenomenon known as social presence. In this thesis, we examine whether the addition of simulated social behaviours will improve a sense of believability or social presence, which, along with an engaging musical interaction, will allow us to move towards something that could be called a human-robot relationship. First, we conducted a large online survey to gain insight into relationships based in regular music activ- ity. Using these results, we designed, constructed and programmed Mortimer, a robotic system capable of playing the drums and a responsive composition algorithm to best meet these aims. This robot was then used in a series of studies, one single session and two long-term, testing various simulated social behaviours to compliment the musical improvisation. These experiments and their results address the paucity of long-term studies both speci cally in Social Robotics and in the broader HRI eld, and provide a promising insight into a possible solution to generally poor outcomes in this area. This conclusion is based upon the model of a positive human-robot relationship and the method- ological approach of automated behavioural metrics to evaluate robotic systems in this regard developed and detailed within the thesis.the EPSRC as part of the Media and Arts Tech-nology Doctoral Training Centre, EP/G03723X/2