An empathetic machine that conveys indecisiveness through motion and a singular light.
Physical Computing Course within the BA Interaction Design at ZHdK
Mentors: Luke Franzke, Florian Bruggisser
Can interactions between human and machines be more effective if we can empathise with the device because of it's anthropomorphic behaviour? Can such devices, in turn, empathise with us? We are social animals, and a large portion of our brain is dedicated to social tasks, from recognising emotions to predicting the thoughts and intentions of other humans and creatures. It, therefore, makes sense that we utilise these capabilities when designing interactions.
But how might everyday interactive devices be improved by anthropomorphic characteristics? Would we be more likely to partake in sustainable consumption of electronics if devices were more sympathetic? This year's Physical Computing project will attempt to answer some of these questions while drawing inspiration from robotics to physically prototype interactive devices with empathetic qualities and anthropomorphic behaviours.
Distinctly non-human forms can be highly evocative of human qualities, and basic geometric forms can convey agency and complex behaviours through motion alone (Heider and Simmel 1944). For this reason, we will focus on primitive forms with expressive behaviour through motion, using simple electromechanical actuators, in combination with sensors and microcontrollers.
The A-eye is comprised of a moving mechanism, that uses 4 servos and strings to control its motion in a 3 dimensional manner and the object itself, an eye that looks around at its surrounding and specifically the people in its vicinity. The A-eye in it’s resting state will curiously look around at the world mid-room, but as soon as a person gets too close it will get a fright and retreat back to a safer space higher up, always keeping an eye on you. Still being intrigued by the intruder it will follow and watch them from a safe distance. Taking the topic of empathetic machines and combining that together with all that we learned in physical computing, we created our A-eye. Wanting our machine to be able to portray an indecisiveness in its actions, we decided to make it unable to choose between its curiosity in its surroundings, the people in it and the fear of those.
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