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Lecturers: Luke Franzke & Florian Bruggisser

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The course takes place in two separate blocks: Physical Computing Basics in the first two weeks and the Main Project in the last two weeks. Int the first In the first block, students will work individually through the introductory topics, while the Main Project is in groups of two to three students. 

Topic 2019: Empathetic Machines: 

The topic of Anthopormism in Robotics is as old as the field itself. Can and should a robot look and behave like us? Can interactions between human and machine be more powerful if we can empathise with the machine 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 exploit 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 consumerism of electronics if the devices were more sympathetic? Could we be healthier if our Fitbit got angry with us? This year's Physical Computing major project will attempt to answer some of these questions, while physically prototyping interactive devices with empathetic qualities and anthropomorphic behaviours. 

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.

Extended description:

There are three common explanations for our tendency to anthropomorphize things,   

• It's a strategy to assume that the world is composed of higher-level, human-like agents, rather than simplifying. (Rosch et al. 1976).
• We anthropomorphize to make sense of the world, with what we are familiar with e.i ourselves.   
• We are searching for relationships and comfort

"Is That Car Smiling at Me? Schema Congruity as a Basis for Evaluating Anthropomorphized Products" 

Topics Readings:

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.60.297&rep=rep1&type=pdf

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=812787

https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/humanities/sociology/in-search-of-the-new-human-machine-empathy/

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-23832-6_15

Personal Material

Please bring your personal computer to all classes. If you have a newer MacBook with USB C, bring an adapter to work with standard USB cables. A personal notebook is also recommended. 

Expectations and Grading

Grades will be based on group presentations, class participation, home assignments, documentation and final work. An attendance of min. 80% is required to pass the course.

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1. Workbook documentation of all exercises and minor projects from weeks 1 and 2.
2. Document every circuit you built (or attempted to build) with a photo. Include your code when appropriate, a drawn schematic of each circuit and include notes/observations.  
3. Presentation of Minor Project.

Group Work (60%)

1. Final Prototype of Object
2. Final Presentation
3. Standard IAD Documentation 
   • Video (Making of, Final Prototype)
   • Image selection
   • Short Documentation (PDF)

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• 5 minutes for presentation, and 5 minutes for feedback and discussion
• Live demonstration of your project 
Explain
• Show the process
and the thinking
• that brought you to this outcome 
• Live demonstration of your project 

References and Links

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1. Introductory Lecture 
2. Project Briefs 2019
3. Project box 2020
4. Exercises

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2. Physical Computing Resources
3. Physical Computing Lab - Sensors

Topic 2019: Empathetic Machines: 

2019 Topics Readings

Schedule

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Materials to order:

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