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Exploring the Abuse of Robots

Christoph Bartneck and Jun Hu

Abstract: Robots have been introduced into our society, but their social role is still unclear. A critical issue is whether the robot’s exhibition of intelligent behaviour leads to the users’ perception of the robot as being a social actor, similar to the way in which people treat computers and media as social actors. The first experiment mimicked Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiment, but on a robot. The participants were asked to administer electric shocks to a robot, and the results show that people have fewer concerns about abusing robots than about abusing other people. We refined the methodology for the second experiment by intensifying the social dilemma of the users. The participants were asked to kill the robot. In this experiment, the intelligence of the robot and the gender of the participants were the independent variables, and the users’ destructive behaviour towards the robot the dependent variable. Several practical and methodological problems compromised the acquired data, but we can conclude that the robot’s intelligence had a significant influence on the users’ destructive behaviour. We discuss the encountered problems and suggest improvements. We also speculate on whether the users’ perception of the robot as being “sort of alive” may have influenced the participants’ abusive behaviour.

Keywords: robots, perceived intelligence, killing, abuse

C. Bartneck, and J. Hu, “Exploring the Abuse of Robots,” Interaction Studies – Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systems, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 415-433, 2008.
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DOI: 10.1075/is.9.3.04bar
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Use of WebLabs as a platform for remote customer research

USI Final Project by Dirk van de Mortel. Draft report: [PDF, 500K]

WebLabs is the project name for a new, web-based platform for gathering user feedback. During most, if not all phases in the (iterative) design cycle, representative users and/or clients can be involved and leave feedback/input as part of User-Centered Design (UCD) process. This feedback is valuable for an evaluator (e.g. HCI expert), who then compiles yielded information and implements severe parts, by rendering them in the development of the product or service. Executing usability tests by means of a User Evaluation Method (UEM) as part of UCD is a well-known method. Other usability methods are e.g. contextual interviews, focus groups, heuristic evaluation, interviews, personas, task analysis etc that all might be applicable as feedback system on the web.
However, until now little information is known on how laboratory testing compares to remote testing, concerning Philips Research applications (i.e. multimedia applications for consumer electronics). Important advantages of remote testing are A. Time and space independence (asynchrone) B. Relatively low cost for a worldwide (and cultural diffused) audience/participants and C. Automation of results. Important disadvantages are I) No control after publication or invitation of users II) Applies on the imagination of participants when a situation is simulated/mimicked III) Requires special preparation (low fidelity prototypes become digital or hybrid: send by post and evaluated with Web applications).

D. van de Mortel, Use of WebLabs as a platform for remote customer research, USI Final Report 9044408127, Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 2008.
FULLTEXT: PDF
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ALICE’s adventures in cultural computing

Jun Hu, Christoph Bartneck, Ben Salem, Matthias Rauterberg

Abstract – In the paradigm of cultural computing, different cultures need different approaches to address the cultural determinants that strongly influences our way of thinking, feeling and worldview in general. For the western culture, our answer to this need is an artistic and interactive installation (ALICE) based on the narrative ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. To address the western culture characteristics highlighted in the narrative, six stages were selected and implemented as an interactive experience. From start to end, the user undergoes an immersive environment that integrates embodied and virtual agents, real and nature mimicking, and both virtual and augmented reality. Every stage challenges the hardware and software design to provide the intended experience, which at the overall system level yet have to be seamlessly integrated. A distributed and multi-layered architecture is designed to accommodate this need. After several pilot tests, the installation is ready as a cultural computing platform for the experiments that address the western cultural determinants.
Keywords: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; western culture; cultural computing; human-computer interaction; HCI; art installation; interactive installation; virtual agents; virtual reality; augmented reality; immersive environments; Alice in Wonderland

J. Hu, C. Bartneck, B. Salem, and M. Rauterberg, “ALICE’s Adventures in Cultural Computing ” International Journal of Arts and Technology, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 102-118, 2008.
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AIRSF: A New Entertainment Adaptive Framework for Stress Free Air Travel

Hao Liu, Jun Hu,  Matthias Rauterberg

ABSTRACT
Travel by air, especially long distance, the combination of long flight duration, limited space and an unusual cabin environment causes physical and psychological discomfort and even stress for a large group of passengers. In-flight entertainment systems are commonly installed on the long haul flights to increase the passenger’s comfort level. However, the current installed and commercially available in-flight entertainment systems do not explore how the entertainment services can be adapted to reduce the passenger’s stress level systematically and intelligently. Also, these systems are designed and implemented based on a pre-set concept of what customer likes and requires as a homogeneous passenger group that has similar tastes and desires. In this paper, we present a new entertainment adaptive framework AIRSF for stress free air travel. Compared to the current in-flight entertainment framework, it can regulate the passenger’s physical and psychological states at comfort physical and psychological states with context-aware and personalized stress reduction entertainment service provision intelligently; What is more, based on the passenger’s bio and explicit feedback, it can automatically track, learn and adapt to the passenger’s preferences.
Categories and Subject Descriptors
H.1.2 [Models and Principles]: User/Machine Systems – Human factors, Human information processing.
General Terms
Design, human Factors, languages.
Keywords
Adaptive framework, context-awareness, in-flight entertainment.

H. Liu, J. Hu, and M. Rauterberg, “AIRSF: A New Entertainment Adaptive Framework for Stress Free Air Travels,” in International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (ACE 2008), Yokohama, Japan, 2008, pp. 183-186.
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DOI: 10.1145/1501750.1501793
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Culture Matters: A Study on Presence in an Interactive Movie

Abstract – A cross cultural study was conducted to test the influences of different cultural backgrounds on the user’s presence experience in interacting with a distributed interactive movie. The effects of embodied interaction on presence were also investigated because embodiment is often used to enrich the experience and to reduce the complexity of distributed interaction. In absence of a clear definition of what cultural factors might influence presence, Dutch and Chinese participants were invited to the study to optimize cultural diversion. The results suggested that Chinese participants perceived more presence than Dutch participants in all conditions. The results also show that interaction methods (direct touch against remote control) had no influence, while embodiment (robot against screen agent) had mixed effects on presence.
Keywords: culture, interactive movie, presence

J. Hu, and C. Bartneck, “Culture Matters – a Study on Presence in an Interactive Movie,” CyberPsychology and Behavior, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 529-535, 2008.
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DOI: 10.1089/cpb.2007.0093
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Designing for Experience: Arousing Boredom to Evoke Predefined User Behaviour

Joran van Aart, Ben Salem, Christoph Bartneck, Jun Hu, Matthias Rauterberg

Abstract – In the light of Cultural Computing, this study influences user affect and behaviour by touching upon core values of Western culture. We created an augmented reality environment in which users experience a predefined sequence of emotional states and events. This study concerns two typically Western drives: boredom and curiosity. We specifically address the arousal of boredom, a mental state characterized by a heightened drive for exploration, making it easier to guide people in their decision making. Based on psychology literature, we introduce general design guidelines for arousing boredom. We report on the design of the augmented reality environment, the experiment effectively arousing boredom and on the redesign of the environment based on the experimental results.

Keywords: User Affect, Emotions, Cultural Computing, Boredom, Diversive Exploration, Alice in Wonderland, User Behaviour, Modelling Experience, Design, Affective Computing

J. van Aart, B. Salem, C. Bartneck, J. Hu, and M. Rauterberg, “Designing for Experience: Arousing Boredom to Evoke Predefined User Behaviour,” in 6th Design and emotion conference, Hong Kong, 2008.
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Applying Virtual and Augmented Reality in Cultural Computing

Christoph Bartneck, Jun Hu, Ben Salem, Razvan Cristescu and Matthias Rauterberg

Abstract— We are exploring a new application of virtual and augmented reality for a novel direction in human-computer interaction named ‘cultural computing’, which aims to provide a new medium for cultural translation and unconscious metamorphosis. In this application both virtual and robotic agents are employed as an interactive dialogue figure. The main objective of this project is to create an interactive installation named ALICE that encourages people in Western culture to reflect on themselves, based on the narrative of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ which address issues such as logic, rationality, and self.

Index Terms— Alice in Wonderland, cultural computing, experience, sub-
consciousness.

C. Bartneck, J. Hu, B. Salem, R. Cristescu, and M. Rauterberg, “Applying Virtual and Augmented Reality in Cultural Computing ” International Joural of Virtual Reality, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 11-18, 2008.
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Far far away … To help expats feel more at home abroad

Far far away ...
Far far away ...

A nice project done by MieKe Kleppe. “The goal of my IBP is to design a system or device that will help expats to feel more at home abroad. I used literature, interviews, surveys and a context mapping session to find out that the real problem is that they feel far away from the people that really know them. After some more research and idea generation I refined my direction in designing a system or device that will motivate friends of the expat to share their daily life with the expat with use of text messages. So I chose to design something for the friends, not the expats themselves. The biggest challenge for this project was to make sending the messages as little effort for the friend as possible, but still keep it interesting for the expat.

The result of my project is a pendant that can be hung on the phone of the friend. With a simple sliding movement a message is send to his expat friend. Context awareness phones are used to determine what the friend is doing and which message should be send.”

Download the report [PDF, 800K] for details.

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Communication of remote context through lighting

A very nice project done by Bram Knaapen. “The non face-to-face communication of social and emotional experiences between people usually happens through phone or other media like e-mail, IM (instant messaging or webcam (e.g. Skype). The context in which the experiences were experienced plays an important role. Neither the technology nor our way of describing enables us to communicate this visual context in a way it can be “experienced” by the other person. There still are a few layers of formulation & interpretation in between: you can only imagine. This project focuses on the design of a system that is able to communicate the real-time visual context of a remote user so that the receiving person is able to “ feel” as if he/she is there without the translation steps that are required when describing an experience. Emphasis is on the visual element in experience and thus imaging technology. The final concept is a modular system of connectable triangles that can be mounted to the wall and can project areal-time abstract display system of a remote visual context.”

For more information, download the project report: [PDF, 2.5M]

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Teaching Machine Learning to Design Students

Bram van der Vlist, Rick van de Westelaken, Christoph Bartneck, Jun Hu, Rene Ahn, Emilia Barakova, Frank Delbressine, and Loe Feijs

Abstract – Machine learning is a key technology to design and create intelligent systems, products, and related services. Like many other design departments, we are faced with the challenge to teach machine learning to design students, who often do not have an inherent affinity towards technology. We successfully used the Embodied Intelligence method to teach machine learning to our students. By embodying the learning system into the Lego Mindstorm NXT platform we provide the student with a tangible tool to understand and interact with a learning system. The resulting behavior of the tangible machines in combination with the positive associations with the Lego system motivated all the students. The students with less technology affinity successfully completed the course, while the students with more technology affinity excelled towards solving advanced problems. We believe that our experiences may inform and guide other teachers that intend to teach machine learning, or other computer science related topics, to design students.

Keywords: teaching, machine learning, design, lego

B. van der Vlist, R. van de Westelaken, C. Bartneck, J. Hu, R. Ahn, E. Barakova, F. Delbressine, and L. Feijs, “Teaching Machine Learning to Design Students,” Technologies for E-Learning and Digital Entertainment, Lecture Notes in Computer Science Series, 5093/2008, Z. Pan, X. Zhang, A. E. Rhalibi et al., eds., pp. 206-217, Nanjing, China: Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, 2008.
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-69736-7_23