In this project we use dance and performing arts to explore conceptual and technical aspects of how Intimate Technologies could change and shape our relation with ourselves and others, and involve society in this exploration. The project is affiliated with the national Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT) NWO gravitation programme and DesignLab of University of Twente. It started at the end of 2022 and runs for around 2 years.
Overall aims
The project is motivated from the observation that digital information technologies become more and more intimately interwoven with our society and individuals’ daily lives. Through developments in sensor technology and material sciences, technologies such as wearables, high-tech clothing, smart objects, and assistive technologies become embedded in our environments and on our bodies. This merging of cyber and physical worlds in combination with advances in Artificial Intelligence, gives rise to new questions about what it means to be human in a society where people and digital technologies become intimately connected.
In this project we explore these questions through a ‘research through design’ approach, providing creative and tangible ways of exploring possible futures with Intimate Technologies without the need for developing full-fledged cyber-physical systems. We investigate the new physical, psychological, and social vulnerabilities that Intimate Technologies could give rise to, as well as desirable ways of engaging with these vulnerabilities through technology. In this way we lay the foundations for Intimate Technologies that take into account human vulnerabilities, contributing to a caring and inspiring digital society.
Performed studies
The project is conducted by postdoc researcher Dr. Michaela Honauer. As part of the project we performed three main studies, which are broadly described below.
Children’s Conception of AI and Personal Digital Technologies
The first study concerned the investigation of children’s perception of AI and personal digital technologies using creative and performative methods. The research started from the observation that children are exposed to personal digital technologies (PDT) such as smartphones or tablets throughout their daily lives. With AI’s rise, PDT can respond to and engage with children personally and proactively. At the same time, AI-enabled PDT may harbour new risks and challenges for children. To inform future research and design, we investigate how primary school children perceive and speculate about such technologies. Our methodological approach is based on the idea that children’s perception and expressivity are multi-modal. For this reason we engaged children with AI and PDT through different types of creative and performative methods, including picture-based thinking, handicrafts, and role-play activities.
Dancing with a robot
The second study explored human-robot interactions through dance. Our investigations aim to understand how human and robot enact their interwovenness in improvisational situations and what interdependencies emerge. We invited performers from different performing arts styles to the lab to explore the robot Pepper through improvisational exercises. An offstage performer controlled the robot’s movements through skeleton-tracking. Accompanied by music, the performers were asked to approach the robot based on their performance style and to catch its attention through short performative interactions. By analysing these improvisational interactions and interviews with the performers, in collaboration with Dr. Anna Puzio we aim to contribute new insights into the dynamics between humans and social robots and their unfolding entanglements.
Disconnections and Relationships mediated through Intimate Technologies (DiscReTe)
The third study was named the DiscReTe project, and investigates the use of dance for creating an AI-enabled wearable as a conceptual prototype for demonstrating the concept of Intimate Computing. This wearable device aims to support persons with diverse communication needs in navigating social interactions, setting personal boundaries, and conveying their needs to others effectively. Designed as a tool for mediating social connection, the wearable addresses feelings of disconnection by facilitating nuanced, context-sensitive communication. We presented the DiscReTe wearable in a dance performance that is an artistic interpretation of how Intimate Computing could support human connection through human-technology partnership. More information about the project can be found on the dedicated DiscReTe webpage.