A prototype to study cognitive and aesthetic aspects of mixed reality technologies

Mixed reality systems integrate virtual reality with real-world perception and cognition to offer enhanced interaction possibilities with the environment. Our aim is to demonstrate that mixed reality technologies strongly affect our aesthetic sense and mental models. So, in designing such technologies, we need to incorporate perspectives from different disciplines. We present different approaches and implementations of cognitive enhancement and cognitive technologies, consider some practical applications of mixed reality systems and discuss how they impact the user perception, body image and aesthetic sense

A study on the role of affective feedback in robot-assisted learning

In recent years, there have been many approaches to using robots to teach computer programming. In intelligent tutoring systems and computer-aided learning, there is also some research to show that affective feedback to the student increases learning efficiency. However, a few studies on the role of incorporating an emotional personality in the robot in robot-assisted learning have found different results. To explore this issue further, we conducted a pilot study to investigate the effect of positive verbal encouragement and non-verbal emotive behaviour of the Miro-E robot during a robot-assisted programming session. The participants were tasked to program the robot’s behaviour. In the experimental group, the robot monitored the participants’ emotional state via their facial expressions, and provided affective feedback to the participants after completing each task. In the control group, the robot responded in a neutral way. The participants filled out a questionnaire before and after the programming session. The results show a positive reaction of the participants to the robot and the exercise. Though the number of participants was small, as the experiment was conducted during the pandemic, a qualitative analysis of the data was carried out. We found that the greatest affective outcome of the session was for students who had little experience or interest in programming before. We also found that the affective expressions of the robot had a negative impact on its likeability, revealing vestiges of the uncanny valley effect

Człowiek z modułów – analiza adaptacyjności umysłu i ciała do wytworów techniki i technologii w kontekście teorii poznania rozszerzonego i ucieleśnionego

Modular man – an analysis of brain and body adaptation to the technology in the context of the theories of extended mind and embodied cognitionThe ability to adapt to new and ever changing environment has always been one of the primary human skills. In fact, the capacity of using tools has been of upmost importance. The advancement of technology greatly improved the process of adaptation. It had a remarkable impact on the development of human nature, stepping into its inner structure. The technological evolution of mankind has been happening right before our eyes. People are becoming symbiotic with machines, and to various extents becoming cyborgs themselves. The main point of interest of this paper is to show how the embodied cognition theory and the extended mind theory are able to illustrate the phenomenon of cyborgization. Moreover, we consider how the concepts related to the modular structure of mind and body explain the technological adaptation of humans

Why we becomes cyborgs : problem of body and mind's adaptability to the technology

Rozwój zaawansowanych technologii w coraz to bardziej znaczący sposób wpływa na ludzką cielesność oraz sferę umysłową i poznawczą. W coraz większym stopniu jawimy się jako sztuczni ludzie - cyborgi, których podstawą jest wprawdzie biologiczne ciało, a zwłaszcza mózg, lecz w których ciele funkcje organiczne są wspomagane bądź pełnione przez systemy i układy cybernetyczne, cyfrowe lub wirtualne. Artykuł analizuje w jaki sposób człowiek adaptuje się do tych technologicznych udogodnień, wskazując, że jest to proces poznawczy rozszerzający obraz i schemat ciała. Analiza skupia się na przykładach społecznych oraz koncepcjach filozoficznych i kognitywistycznych.The advancement of technology has a significant impact on the human body, our mental and cognitive sphere. Nowadays, people are becoming more and more artificial humans: cyborgs - persons whose physiological and mental functioning are enhanced by mechanical or electronic devices and cybernetic or virtual systems. The main point of interest of this paper is to analyze the technological adaptation of the human beings. The technological adaptation is a cognitive process referring to "the body image" and "the body schema". The analysis is focused on social examples, philosophical and cognitive theories

Transhumanist perfection

Człowiek czasem pyta: dlaczego ciągle tak mało wiem, dlaczego moje zdolności fizyczne są ograniczone, dlaczego popadam w choroby, dlaczego nie mogę być szczęśliwy? I ostatecznie – dlaczego moje życie nie może być doskonałe? Transhumaniści nie udzielą jednoznacznej odpowiedzi na zadane powyżej pytania, żywią jednak przekonanie, że dzięki racjonalnym metodom, nauce i zaawansowanym technologiom możliwe będzie udoskonalenie ludzkiego bytu

The role of trust in human-machine interaction : cognitive science perspective

Artificial intelligence and its use in robot systems play an increasingly important role in our lives, and they are used in more and more fields, both in private life and in professional relationships. Building trust in these computer systems is a complex task with many aspects and is also one of the key challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This chapter seeks to answer the following questions: (1) What is the mental model of trust shaped in the human-human relationship, as well as in the robot-artificial intelligence system, robots? (2) How are the relationships between humans and robots shaped by trust? (3) How is the relationship between robots and human-robot interactions based on reliability, appearance, behavioral and cognitive factors? (4) How are these relationships influenced by trust and how do they relate to each other

Cognitive enhancement. Effort of definition, and methods

The idea of cognitive enhancement refers to multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach aimed at improving human mental processes. Cognitive enhancement is the amplification or extension of core mind capacities through improvement or augmentation of either internal or external information processing systems. This includes improvements of intelligence and attention, reinforcement of creativity and memory, or extension of perception range. The main feature of cognitive enhancement is voluntariness of use for overcoming natural mental limitations. This article is a synthesis of current trends in cognitive enhancement from the perspective of transhumanism. The article presents various definitions of cognitive enhancement, methods of cognitive enhancement (biotechnological methods, non-pharmacological methods, IT methods) as well as challenges and questions concerning improving human mental processes

Methods of non-pharmacological cognitive enhancement

Wzmocnienie poznawcze (ang. cognitive enhancement) jest interdyscyplinarnym podejściem mającym na celu usprawnienie władz poznawczych człowieka. Koncepcje wzmocnienia poznawczego przede wszystkim dotyczą wykorzystania środków oraz metod farmaceutycznych i informatycznych w celu podniesienia efektywności procesów poznawczych. Wzmocnienie poznawcze obejmuje również metody niewymagające zaawansowanych środków technologicznych. Metody te określa się mianem metod niefarmakologicznych, które obejmują działania prewencyjne, optymalizacje procesów fizjologicznych, czy wykorzystywanie i udoskonalanie technik mentalnych. Celem artykułu jest synteza i przegląd metod niefarmakologicznego wzmocnienia poznawczego