Irene Alcubilla Troughton

Dissertation
Moving Together. A Performing Arts Approach to Relational Human-Robot Interaction Design.

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Maaike Bleeker
Co-supervisor: Prof. Dr. Koen Hindriks & Dr. Kim Baraka
Nomination: Utrecht University, Faculty of Humanities

What is a human being? What is dancing? Can robots dance?

The way we think about ourselves is often determined by the technologies we create. In the distant past, we compared ourselves to machines; later, to clocks; and more recently, to computer networks. The design of robots once again raises the question of what it means to be human, especially when those robots are intended to interact with us. This can give rise to utopian expectations, that robots might do better the things we would rather not do. And to dystopian fears, that those same robots might one day dominate us.

In Moving Together, Irene Alcubilla Throughton adopts a very different starting point: how humans and robots can come to know one another and learn from one another. The project is Erasmian in spirit because it combines a wide range of research methods, from cybernetics and cognitive science to the performing arts. This fresh and innovative approach results in practical guidance for the future design of robots. In doing so, Irene shows herself to be a remarkably versatile scholar.

At the heart of the dissertation lies the idea that the relationship between humans and robots should not be understood in an internalist sense but as a relational one: understanding and meaning emerge precisely through interaction. Irene also reports on practical experiments, which is where the performing arts make such a valuable contribution. This research seeks to answer questions, but it also raises new ones – and that is a compliment. A number of ethical issues are touched upon in the dissertation, and we are curious to see whether Irene will develop these further in future work. Our one disappointment is that, after such a thorough and sophisticated study, relatively little attention was devoted to the Dutch-language summary.

The jury believes that Irene has written a highly original dissertation, employing an exceptionally creative methodology and addressing issues of considerable societal relevance. We are eager to see how designers will take up the practical recommendations it offers, and how the relationship between humans and robots may come to be approached in a more relational and playful manner as a result. This book has certainly made me think. Can robots dance? What is dancing? What is a human being? We wish Irene every success and hope to hear much more from her in the years ahead.