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Topic 2019: Empathetic Machines:
Topic 2019: Empathetic Machines:
Can interactions between human and machine be more powerful if we can empathise with the device because of it's a human-like behaviour? We are social animals, and a large portion of our brain is dedicated to social tasks, from recognising emotions to predicting the thoughts and intentions of people around us. It, therefore, makes sense that we utilise these capabilities when designing interactions.
But how might everyday interactive devices be improved by anthropomorphic characteristics? Would we be more likely to partake in sustainable consumption of electronics if devices were more sympathetic? This year's Physical Computing project will attempt to answer some of these questions, while physically prototyping interactive devices with empathetic qualities and anthropomorphic behaviours. Will will focus on the use of simple sensors and electromechanical outputs to achieve these results.
There have been numerous attempts to make humanoid robots (both in fiction and reality), which inevitably lead to the uncanny valley phenomena. Yet, distinctly non-human forms can be highly evocative of human qualities. Simple geometric forms can convey agency and complex behaviours through motion alone (Heider and Simmel 1944). For this reason, we will focus on human-like behaviour being conveyed through motion, rather than form.
Topics Readings:
https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2980481
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