Choreographic and Somatic Approaches for the Development of Expressive Robotic Systems

As robotic systems are moved out of factory work cells into human-facing environments questions of choreography become central to their design, placement, and application. With a human viewer or counterpart present, a system will automatically be interpreted within context, style of movement, and form factor by human beings as animate elements of their environment. The interpretation by this human counterpart is critical to the success of the system's integration: knobs on the system need to make sense to a human counterpart; an artificial agent should have a way of notifying a human counterpart of a change in system state, possibly through motion profiles; and the motion of a human counterpart may have important contextual clues for task completion. Thus, professional choreographers, dance practitioners, and movement analysts are critical to research in robotics. They have design methods for movement that align with human audience perception, can identify simplified features of movement for human-robot interaction goals, and have detailed knowledge of the capacity of human movement. This article provides approaches employed by one research lab, specific impacts on technical and artistic projects within, and principles that may guide future such work. The background section reports on choreography, somatic perspectives, improvisation, the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System, and robotics. From this context methods including embodied exercises, writing prompts, and community building activities have been developed to facilitate interdisciplinary research. The results of this work is presented as an overview of a smattering of projects in areas like high-level motion planning, software development for rapid prototyping of movement, artistic output, and user studies that help understand how people interpret movement. Finally, guiding principles for other groups to adopt are posited.Comment: Under review at MDPI Arts Special Issue "The Machine as Artist (for the 21st Century)" http://www.mdpi.com/journal/arts/special_issues/Machine_Artis

Development of a virtual reality video game using principal component analysis to map isometric force efforts for haptic feedback: A proof of concept

Cerebral palsy is a developmental movement disorder that is associated with antenatal, perinatal, or postnatal trauma to the central nervous system and manifests peripherally. The kind of cerebral palsy a person displays can be classified in multiple ways, focusing on the tonicity, movement behavior, and location of atypical movement. One subtype of cerebral palsy, dystonic cerebral palsy, is particularly difficult to treat and manage as little is known on therapeutic methods that work with children with dystonia. Treatments that show promise, such as deep brain stimulation, are invasive procedures; non-invasive therapies that significantly improve the comfort of children with dystonic cerebral palsy is a needed area of study. This thesis outlines the process by which a virtual reality video game was concepted, developed, and tested as a novel non-invasive mode for selective motor control training, which can be poor in children with cerebral palsy. The game is also targeted to children with dystonic cerebral palsy by reducing the range of motion necessary for gameplay as well as by increasing motivation by using a robotic interface and virtual reality head mounted display. The game is played by interacting with a force/torque sensor mounted onto the end effector of the robot and force feedback is given real time as participants aim to match force targets in a lower dimensional space. Preliminary results of a typically developing child indicate lower error during gameplay over six trials as well as between levels of the game. These results show promise of motor learning of specific force tasks as well as possibly confirm that the game requires progressively increasing selective motor control for task completion.U of I OnlyAuthor requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD syste

Dance and rehabilitation in cerebral palsy : a systematic search and review

Aim To conduct a review of research literature on the use of dance and movement with music (rhythmic auditory stimulation [RAS]) in the neurorehabilitation of children and adults with cerebral palsy (CP). Method We conducted a systematic search and quality appraisal of the research literature on dance and RAS in CP. Additionally, we linked the research outcomes to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. Results Studies showed preliminary evidence of the benefits of dance and RAS on body functions, particularly balance, gait, walking, and cardiorespiratory fitness for individuals with CP. Research gaps are evident across all domains of the ICF, particularly in the participation and environment domains. Interpretation To facilitate translation of quantitative research outcomes to the clinical classification of the ICF, a table was constructed that links traditional areas of quantitative rehabilitation research with the ICF categories highlighting areas of research strengths and areas where increased rigor is desirable. The potential for dance and RAS to have positive impacts on body functions, emotional expression, social participation, and attitudinal change are indicated areas for consideration in future research. What this paper adds The potential for dance and movement to music help balance, gait, and walking in children and adults with cerebral palsy. Research gaps are evident across International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health domains, particularly participation and environment domains