Ilona Straub

Department of Sociology, University of Oldenburg, Germany

Teleoperable Robots as Embodied Media Device and Their Impact on Interaction Structures and Agency Ascription

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About the author: Ilona Straub

Morten Nielsen, Vibeke H.Nielsen, Rie Rasmussen, Trine S.Axelgaard, Agata Klusak

Department for Art and Technology, Aalborg University

Investigating Human-Robot Interaction through an Interactive Art Installation

In the submitted paper “Investigating Human-Robot Interaction through an Interactive Art Installation”, we describe a Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) field experiment, situated in a public space and based on observations of participants interacting with an art installation. The art installation is developed from research in bio-inspired robotics, anthropomorphism, behaviors in nature, and biology. The article explains an interdisciplinary study in HRI using methodologies from art, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and scientific research. Research observations are conducted using methods as cognitive walkthrough, bodystorming, interviews, and video recordings. The experiment is realised in order to investigate how new technology can be implemented in nature with- out acting as an obstructive element to the ecological system and the inhabitants of the environment.

About the authors: Morten Nielsen, Vibeke H.Nielsen, Rie Rasmussen, Trine S.Axelgaard, Agata Klusak

Glenda Hannibal

Department of Culture and Society, PENSOR group, Aarhus University, Denmark

‘Dynamic’ Categorization and Rationalized Ascription: A Study on NAO

Several studies on Human-Robot Interaction have shown that when children and adults encounter social robots they make use of ‘dynamic’ categorization in the sense that ascription of e.g. mental states, biological properties, sociality and moral status are context dependent. In the context of a minor pilot study, with the aim of comparing results with those of the larger studies that have been undertaken among American children, I tried to explore the claims of ‘dynamic’ categorization among some Danish schoolchildren at Løsning Skole. Based on the findings, which showed a change of reference to the social robot NAO over time, the pilot study suggests that there is a variation in categorization. Taken that the findings seems to confirm that categorization is dependent on e.g. time and situation, I will in my talk discuss the philosophical implications of the 'dynamic’ categorization claims for (i) ontology and our understanding of categories, and (ii) for the epistemology of classificatory descriptions and its relation to concepts of rationality.

About the author: Glenda Hannibal