Robots are increasingly able to perform simple tasks and convey messages. But they still lack many skills needed for interaction and communication. That is why researchers and artists are working together in the new research project Dramaturgy for Devices to improve robots' behaviour and communication skills. Marco Rozendaal: ‘The skills of artists are very useful to design robots that will function in our daily lives.’
Dramaturgy for Devices is the first project to bring the worlds of theatre and dance to robotics on this scale to refine human-robot interaction. Theatre and dance makers collaborate with academics to develop more social robots in this cross-discipline research project. The project shows how the performing arts can contribute to innovative design tools and methods and the value of theatre practice for technological innovation. Conversely, the project explores opportunities for robotics in theatre.
This month is the start of research by four PhD candidates from the University of Utrecht, Free University Amsterdam, University of Twente, and also from TU Delft. Marco Rozendaal, associate professor at IDE is Principal Investigator and supervises PhD candidates in the project.
‘In theatre, there is a lot of implicit knowledge about understanding expressions in certain situations and about ways to understand these situations. Think puppeteers and dancers with a sense of movement and use of space, expressiveness of objects and materials.
Scenographers and dramatists know the importance of context and create situations that trigger interaction, improvisational theatre focuses on playing with what is at hand, and they are alert to what ‘could be’. All these skills are very useful when we start designing robots that will function in the center of our daily lives.’
Our goal is to develop new design methods so that we design robots that are more readable to humans and are pleasant and safer to have around you or to work with.
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Marco Rozendaal
‘Our goal is to develop new design methods so that we design robots that are more readable to humans and are pleasant and safer to have around you or to work with. We also want to develop a design language that goes beyond the dominant anthropomorphic image where robots copy humans. There are many other ways of interaction between humans and robots, and they are now overshadowed by this image.’
Research-in-progress
Over the next four years, the public can attend experiments of Dramaturgy for Devices research live.
Collaboration
Dramaturgy for Devices is a project of Utrecht University, TU Delft, University of Twente, VU Amsterdam, Ulrike Quade Company, Anouk van Dijk, Bram Ellens, Innovation:Lab, ICKAmsterdam, Wintertuin, Creative Robotics, Interactive Robot Robotics, Robot Theater Lab, Heemskerk Innovation Technology, Hotelschool Den Haag, ID Lab/Lectoraat Theater AHK, Dalco Robotics and RoboHouse. Dramaturgy for Devices is made possible by the National Science Agenda, Research on Routes by Consortia (NWA.1518.22.080).
