Human-Robot Interactions
Motivation
This creative exploration is inspired by an OzCHI (2024) workshop pre-work activity. It made me think beyond and reflect on the relationship I have with the dance system designed for my PhD research.
Existing relationship with an artefact
In my current project, I engage with a motion capture system that offers sound feedback, which I would like to call as ''Shabda'' or ''ශබ්ද'' (meaning ``sounds'' in Sinhala language, which is the first language I speak). Shabda is an artefact that interacts with me through sonification— primarily white and pink noise, and spatial panning of sound. It is not a human or animal-like presence, but an abstract, ethereal entity, whose interaction with me is purely mediated by sound. Shabda’s consistent noise challenges the anthropocentric idea of smooth, predictable feedback, acting instead like a force that compels me to adjust, respond, or explore further. Our relationship is playful yet often demanding, as I navigate the balance between noise and silence, constantly shifting in response to this abstract, sound-based partner.
I was inspired by one of my recent embodied experiences and the attachment to waves. As shown in the above video, I experienced my body being controlled by the waves. Sometimes, I move like the waves, within the waves, avoiding the waves or letting the wave control me. Thus, this experience envisioned me the following speculative future.
I imagine a non-anthropomorphic and non-zoomorphic robot called "Tharanga" or "තරංග" (meaning waves in Sinhala). Physically manifested as a large, human-sized cube (image below), Tharanga embodies natural elements like water and sound but rejects anthropocentric design. Our interaction occurs through my body movements and vocal sounds, with Tharanga responding as fluid, wave-like motions, mirroring sound waves in a way that is entirely abstract. This non-human, non-living artifact creates a unique social relationship, where we communicate via a shared language of sound and movement, challenging traditional notions of robots as human or animal substitutes, and instead building a connection rooted in elemental forces and sensory experience.
Note: the image was generated through DALL-E using the prompt: Create an image with a little bit more than an average human sized cube filled with some almost transparent ocean waves coming from the roof of the cube's inside walls and there is a brown skinned* woman dancing inside the same cube. The woman has black hair upto shoulder, is wearing a black cap, black baggy pants, white baggy t shirt. Also, add a transparent door to the cube (to the side view). Make it look like she is saying something (don’t add speech bubbles) and shows like she is making sound waves.
*Emphasis on my personality representation is important for me.