A reflection of our society through the eyes of an android robot

Vlachos, Evgenios

4. term

Information Studies (Human Centered Informatics), Master

2012

2012-05-31

42

Denne afhandling argumenterer for, at samfundet bevæger sig fra informationsalderen til den robotiske æra. Med udgangspunkt i ansigtsudtryk fra androiden Geminoid|DK (en menneskelignende robot) bruges disse som stimuli til at få mennesker til at beskrive, hvilke livsopgaver de forbinder med dem. Maalet er at skitsere et overblik over samfundet i en tid, hvor nye livsopgaver er ved at blive formuleret. Først begrundes påstanden om, at vi allerede er trådt ind i den robotiske æra, og dernæst introduceres de teknologiske landskaber, denne æra har skabt. Herefter fokuseres der på ét af dem, Android Reality. Metoden bestod af et online spørgeskema, hvor deltagere så 15 indlejrede videoer med androidens ansigtsudtryk og beskrev, hvordan de kunne relatere til dem. På baggrund af materialet foreslås en Entity-Relationship (ER)-model, der udtrykker relationerne mellem følelser, ansigtsudtryk og livsopgaver. Afslutningsvis skitseres fremtidigt arbejde, herunder mulige forbedringer af Geminoid|DKs ansigt, så det kan formidle følelser mere overbevisende og engagere sig mere aktivt i verden.

This thesis argues that society is moving from the information era to a robotic era. Using the facial expressions of Geminoid|DK, an android (human-like) robot, as stimuli, it prompts people to describe which life-tasks they associate with them. The aim is to outline a conceptual map of society at a time when new life-tasks are being formulated. First, the thesis motivates the claim that we have already entered the robotic era and introduces the different technological landscapes it has generated. It then focuses on one of them, Android Reality. Method: an online questionnaire asked participants to watch 15 embedded videos showing the android's facial expressions and to explain how they related to them. Based on these inputs, the thesis proposes an Entity-Relationship (ER) model that expresses the relationships between emotions, facial expressions, and life-tasks. The conclusion points to future work, including possible improvements to the face of Geminoid|DK so it can convey emotions more convincingly and take a more active role in the world.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Social Robots; Geminoid; Android Reality; Human-Robot Interaction; Emotions; Facial Expressions; Life-tasks

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