Creating Context Through Performance: Perception of the 'Dancing Droid' Robotic Platform in Variable Valence Interactions in Distinct Office Environments

Operating robots in multiple contexts and environments is currently a challenge, both in functional aspects of design as well as expressive aspects. This paper presents a pilot study using performance and environment to create distinct contexts around the same robotic system. Three distinct environments and three distinct performative interactions with the robot were used to test whether or not individuals experienced the same robotic system differently based on which condition they were exposed to and whether they noticed differences between the distinct scenarios when viewing in series. This study used three observation scenarios (Positive, Negative, and Neutral), combining choreographic design (a human performer’s movement and behavior, especially in relation to robots) and interior design (the elements of the physical observation space). This study found that the Positive Scenario robot was most successful as a companion robot, and that the Negative Scenario robot made participants the least comfortable, aligning with the predicted effect. Qualitative feedback provides further insight into why participants rated the robots this way. This work gives an example of how moving the same robot in between new contexts may result in unanticipated expressive characteristics or interpretation by human viewers.

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