Dunstan, B. J., & Hoffman, G. (2024).
Rethinking Bodily Expression in Human-Robot Communication: Insights from Sculpture

Interaction Design and Architecture(s) (61) : 98-116

Abstract

Sculpture offers a centuries-long tradition of techniques for expressing emotion and movement in a static form. This paper identifies three principles from sculpture that can be applied to robot design: depicting exposure and protection of emotional pivot points in the body, weight distribution, and the revelation of movement mechanisms and tension through flexible skins. The authors employ the first two of these principles in an interactive design and motion control environment to demonstrate their potential application to the design of social collaborative robots.