Reimagining human robot interaction through dance

Rethinking Human Robot Interaction through the lens of dance performance

The way robots move often represents horror. In late capitalism where, for instance, speed is judged as good, how we explore human-robot interaction (HRI) is a foremost challenge. This paper turns to dance as an artistic lens for opening up motion-based interaction beyond dominant approaches of anthropomorphism and efficiency, towards welcoming and imaginative HRI. We review 25 human-robot dance works, classifying them as motion-, body-, and responsiveness-based interaction. With this categorization, we critique what we coin ‘super-machinic’ motion. Ultimately, we suggest dance provides a provocation for the field of HRI, and an invitation to reimagine everyday movement.