Abstract In this article, we present our experiences from research into the healthy ageing and well-being of older people and we report on our personal opinions of robots that may help the elderly to have sex and to cope with isolation and loneliness. However, and while there is a growing industry for sex robots and other sex toys and gadgets, there is also a growing concern about the ethics of such an industry. As is the case with pornography, the concept of sex robots may be criticized, yet it has deep roots in human civilization, with erotic depictions that date back to the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Ages. So the need for an artefact that would offer sexually relevant functionality is not new at all. But what might be new and worrying is the potential for using artificial intelligence in sex robots in ways that might cause a repositioning of our entire value system. Such a threat is not related to the proliferation of sex robots per se but to the use of robots in general and in a variety of other fields of application.
{"title":"Sex with robots: A not-so-niche market for disabled and older persons","authors":"A. Koumpis, Thomas Gees","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0009","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In this article, we present our experiences from research into the healthy ageing and well-being of older people and we report on our personal opinions of robots that may help the elderly to have sex and to cope with isolation and loneliness. However, and while there is a growing industry for sex robots and other sex toys and gadgets, there is also a growing concern about the ethics of such an industry. As is the case with pornography, the concept of sex robots may be criticized, yet it has deep roots in human civilization, with erotic depictions that date back to the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Ages. So the need for an artefact that would offer sexually relevant functionality is not new at all. But what might be new and worrying is the potential for using artificial intelligence in sex robots in ways that might cause a repositioning of our entire value system. Such a threat is not related to the proliferation of sex robots per se but to the use of robots in general and in a variety of other fields of application.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"6 1","pages":"228 - 232"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88015752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Syrdal, K. Dautenhahn, B. Robins, Efstathia Karakosta, N. Jones
Abstract This article describes a long-term study evaluating the use of the humanoid robot Kaspar in a specialist nursery for children with autism. The robot was used as a tool in the hands of teachers or volunteers, in the absence of the research team on-site. On average each child spent 16.53 months in the study. Staff and volunteers at the nursery were trained in using Kaspar and were using it in their day-to-day activities in the nursery. Our study combines an “in the wild” approach with a rigorous approach of collecting and including users’ feedback during an iterative evaluation and design cycle of the robot. This article focuses on the design of the study and the results from several interviews with the robot’s users. We also show results from the children’s developmental assessments by the teachers prior to and after the study. Results suggest a marked beneficial effect for the children from interacting with Kaspar. We highlight the challenges of transferring experimental technologies like Kaspar from a research setting into everyday practice in general and making it part of the day-to-day running of a nursery school in particular. Feedback from users led subsequently to many changes being made to Kaspar’s hardware and software. This type of invaluable feedback can only be gained in such long-term field studies.
{"title":"Kaspar in the wild: Experiences from deploying a small humanoid robot in a nursery school for children with autism","authors":"D. Syrdal, K. Dautenhahn, B. Robins, Efstathia Karakosta, N. Jones","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0019","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article describes a long-term study evaluating the use of the humanoid robot Kaspar in a specialist nursery for children with autism. The robot was used as a tool in the hands of teachers or volunteers, in the absence of the research team on-site. On average each child spent 16.53 months in the study. Staff and volunteers at the nursery were trained in using Kaspar and were using it in their day-to-day activities in the nursery. Our study combines an “in the wild” approach with a rigorous approach of collecting and including users’ feedback during an iterative evaluation and design cycle of the robot. This article focuses on the design of the study and the results from several interviews with the robot’s users. We also show results from the children’s developmental assessments by the teachers prior to and after the study. Results suggest a marked beneficial effect for the children from interacting with Kaspar. We highlight the challenges of transferring experimental technologies like Kaspar from a research setting into everyday practice in general and making it part of the day-to-day running of a nursery school in particular. Feedback from users led subsequently to many changes being made to Kaspar’s hardware and software. This type of invaluable feedback can only be gained in such long-term field studies.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"35 1","pages":"301 - 326"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74057290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract In this article, the author provides a new view on intimate relationships with “virtual humans” such as robots and AIs. Recent technological developments have enabled firms to create humanlike robots and AIs. It is likely that, in the near future, a growing number of people will want intimate relationships with these virtual humans. This may receive harsh criticism, for example, that such a move would indicate objectification of women or ethical wrongdoing. Instead, however, it should be viewed in light of quality of life (QOL) for sexual minorities and people with various difficulties. Aided by the discussion of the introduction of the Long Term Public Care Insurance (LTCI) system in Japan in the late 1990s, the author positions this trend as the “socialification” of familyship – that is, a phenomenon in which the virtual humans, as products or services offered by businesses, become partners/family members, and a change by which some parts of the intimate relationships within families are shared in society. Just as the LTCI system, which was introduced as a socialification of nursing care, reduced the burden of care on Japanese women and improved their QOL, adoption of virtual humans as a socialification of familyship is also likely to improve the QOL of people with difficulties worldwide.
{"title":"“Intimate relationship” with “virtual humans” and the “socialification” of familyship","authors":"H. Yamaguchi","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In this article, the author provides a new view on intimate relationships with “virtual humans” such as robots and AIs. Recent technological developments have enabled firms to create humanlike robots and AIs. It is likely that, in the near future, a growing number of people will want intimate relationships with these virtual humans. This may receive harsh criticism, for example, that such a move would indicate objectification of women or ethical wrongdoing. Instead, however, it should be viewed in light of quality of life (QOL) for sexual minorities and people with various difficulties. Aided by the discussion of the introduction of the Long Term Public Care Insurance (LTCI) system in Japan in the late 1990s, the author positions this trend as the “socialification” of familyship – that is, a phenomenon in which the virtual humans, as products or services offered by businesses, become partners/family members, and a change by which some parts of the intimate relationships within families are shared in society. Just as the LTCI system, which was introduced as a socialification of nursing care, reduced the burden of care on Japanese women and improved their QOL, adoption of virtual humans as a socialification of familyship is also likely to improve the QOL of people with difficulties worldwide.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"11 1","pages":"357 - 369"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78688711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract This work addresses the issue of ocean monitoring and clean-up of polluted zones, as well as the notion of trajectory planning and fault tolerance for semi-autonomous unmanned vehicles. A hybrid approach for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is introduced to monitor the ocean region and cooperate with swarm of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to clean dirty zones. The paper proposes two solutions that apply to trajectory planning from the base of life to the dirty zone for swarm USVs. The first solution is performed by a modified Genetic Algorithm (GA), and the second uses a modified Ant Algorithm (AA). The proposed solutions were both implemented in the simulation with different scenarios for the dirty zone. This approach detects and reduces the pollution level in ocean zones while taking into account the problem of fault tolerance related to unmanned cleaning vehicles.
{"title":"A hybrid air-sea cooperative approach combined with a swarm trajectory planning method","authors":"Salima Bella, A. Belbachir, Ghalem Belalem","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0006","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This work addresses the issue of ocean monitoring and clean-up of polluted zones, as well as the notion of trajectory planning and fault tolerance for semi-autonomous unmanned vehicles. A hybrid approach for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is introduced to monitor the ocean region and cooperate with swarm of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to clean dirty zones. The paper proposes two solutions that apply to trajectory planning from the base of life to the dirty zone for swarm USVs. The first solution is performed by a modified Genetic Algorithm (GA), and the second uses a modified Ant Algorithm (AA). The proposed solutions were both implemented in the simulation with different scenarios for the dirty zone. This approach detects and reduces the pollution level in ocean zones while taking into account the problem of fault tolerance related to unmanned cleaning vehicles.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"115 6 1","pages":"118 - 139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82791927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The use of sex robots is expected to become widespread in the coming decades, not only for hedonistic purposes but also for therapy, to keep the elderly company in care homes, for education, and to help couples in long-distance relationships. As new technological artifacts are introduced to society, they play a role in shaping the societal norms and belief systems while also creating tensions between various approaches and relationships, resulting in a range of policy-making proposals that bring into question traditional disciplinary boundaries that exist between the technical and the social. The Narrative Policy Framework attempts to position policy studies in such a way so as to better describe, explain, and predict a wide variety of processes and outcomes in a political world increasingly burdened by uncertain reporting, capitalistic marketing, and persuasive narratives. Through content analysis, this study identifies coalitions in the scientific community, based on results gathered from Scopus, to develop insights into the manner in which liberal, utilitarian, and conservative influences alike are shaping narrative elements and content both in favor of and against sex robot technology.
{"title":"Sex robot technology and the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF): A relationship in the making?","authors":"David C. Mainenti","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0022","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The use of sex robots is expected to become widespread in the coming decades, not only for hedonistic purposes but also for therapy, to keep the elderly company in care homes, for education, and to help couples in long-distance relationships. As new technological artifacts are introduced to society, they play a role in shaping the societal norms and belief systems while also creating tensions between various approaches and relationships, resulting in a range of policy-making proposals that bring into question traditional disciplinary boundaries that exist between the technical and the social. The Narrative Policy Framework attempts to position policy studies in such a way so as to better describe, explain, and predict a wide variety of processes and outcomes in a political world increasingly burdened by uncertain reporting, capitalistic marketing, and persuasive narratives. Through content analysis, this study identifies coalitions in the scientific community, based on results gathered from Scopus, to develop insights into the manner in which liberal, utilitarian, and conservative influences alike are shaping narrative elements and content both in favor of and against sex robot technology.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"122 1","pages":"390 - 403"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89396753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Johanson, H. Ahn, Craig J. Sutherland, Bianca Brown, B. MacDonald, Jongyoon Lim, B. Ahn, E. Broadbent
Abstract Robots are now starting to be developed and used as receptionists in health applications. In this regard, it is important that robots’ behavioural skills are developed and researched so that people have appropriate and comfortable interactions. Smiling and use of first name are two more important social communication skills used during human interactions. While smiling and use of first name are often employed by robots in human interactions, the effect of these behaviours on perceptions of receptionist robots has not yet been experimentally investigated. This study explored the effects of robot smiling and robot use of the participant’s first name on perceptions of robot friendliness, mind, and personality, as well as attitudes and smiling behaviour. Forty participants interacted with a medical receptionist robot four times, in a two by two repeated measures design. Both smiling and use of first name had significant positive effects on participants’ perceptions of robot personality. Robot smiling also showed significant effects on participants’ overall attitudes towards robots, ratings of robot friendliness, and perceptions of the robot’s mind, and increased the frequency of participants’ own smiling. There were no significant interaction effects. Robot smiling in particular can enhance user perceptions of robots and increase reciprocal smiling.
{"title":"Smiling and use of first-name by a healthcare receptionist robot: Effects on user perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours","authors":"D. Johanson, H. Ahn, Craig J. Sutherland, Bianca Brown, B. MacDonald, Jongyoon Lim, B. Ahn, E. Broadbent","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0008","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Robots are now starting to be developed and used as receptionists in health applications. In this regard, it is important that robots’ behavioural skills are developed and researched so that people have appropriate and comfortable interactions. Smiling and use of first name are two more important social communication skills used during human interactions. While smiling and use of first name are often employed by robots in human interactions, the effect of these behaviours on perceptions of receptionist robots has not yet been experimentally investigated. This study explored the effects of robot smiling and robot use of the participant’s first name on perceptions of robot friendliness, mind, and personality, as well as attitudes and smiling behaviour. Forty participants interacted with a medical receptionist robot four times, in a two by two repeated measures design. Both smiling and use of first name had significant positive effects on participants’ perceptions of robot personality. Robot smiling also showed significant effects on participants’ overall attitudes towards robots, ratings of robot friendliness, and perceptions of the robot’s mind, and increased the frequency of participants’ own smiling. There were no significant interaction effects. Robot smiling in particular can enhance user perceptions of robots and increase reciprocal smiling.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"37 10 1","pages":"40 - 51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77864265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Music is the best medium for expressing emotions and arousal nonverbally. PLAY ME is a gender-neutral Arduino-based system that allows partners in a long-distance relationship to perceive each other’s sexual arousal and to provide stimulation of erogenous zones using music. PLAY ME’s main parts are a tiny pneumatic anal probe connected to a pressure sensor and a bodysuit with integrated vibrators. Whenever both partners wear these devices, a real-time exchange of emotions and corporeal feelings can be enabled. Three sensors capture genital sexual arousal and transform it into music: a pulse sensor, a sensor for galvanic skin response and a pneumatic anal pressure probe. The anal probe measures pelvic tensions and contractions. Its signal controls the main voice. Higher arousal leads to stronger pelvic muscle tensions. Measured data are mapped to pitch, so the level of sexual arousal is audible in a comprehensive way, and orgasms can be clearly identified by regular pulsating sounds. The pulse sensor and the skin response sensor are the driving rhythm and drone frequency. The vibrators in the bodysuit are controlled by sound that is generated by the partner using any audio source. Mixing the sounds generated by the sensors and the instrument leads to interactive music that can enhance erotic feelings and sexual arousal in the way of biofeedback. This article describes the background and construction of the PLAY ME system and shows diagrams of sensor values recorded during sexual stimulation. After a discussion of the results, there is an outlook toward further development.
{"title":"PLAY ME: interactive sonification of sexual arousal in long-distance relationships","authors":"R. Arnold","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0014","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Music is the best medium for expressing emotions and arousal nonverbally. PLAY ME is a gender-neutral Arduino-based system that allows partners in a long-distance relationship to perceive each other’s sexual arousal and to provide stimulation of erogenous zones using music. PLAY ME’s main parts are a tiny pneumatic anal probe connected to a pressure sensor and a bodysuit with integrated vibrators. Whenever both partners wear these devices, a real-time exchange of emotions and corporeal feelings can be enabled. Three sensors capture genital sexual arousal and transform it into music: a pulse sensor, a sensor for galvanic skin response and a pneumatic anal pressure probe. The anal probe measures pelvic tensions and contractions. Its signal controls the main voice. Higher arousal leads to stronger pelvic muscle tensions. Measured data are mapped to pitch, so the level of sexual arousal is audible in a comprehensive way, and orgasms can be clearly identified by regular pulsating sounds. The pulse sensor and the skin response sensor are the driving rhythm and drone frequency. The vibrators in the bodysuit are controlled by sound that is generated by the partner using any audio source. Mixing the sounds generated by the sensors and the instrument leads to interactive music that can enhance erotic feelings and sexual arousal in the way of biofeedback. This article describes the background and construction of the PLAY ME system and shows diagrams of sensor values recorded during sexual stimulation. After a discussion of the results, there is an outlook toward further development.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"7 1","pages":"250 - 270"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78441952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract After more than four decades of school sex education programs, there is still a great deal of inadequate information around, together with mixed messages and general confusion. Topics covered have ranged from “no sex” to “safe sex”, and there has been a tendency for pupils to drift into the “alternative” areas of pornographic media. This approach may have contributed to generations of women and men finding themselves, in adult life, living with unresolved sexual problems caused by a truncated and disorderly “education”. The arrival of robots presents an opportunity to reconsider the way in which sexuality is taught and to introduce an innovative and ethical educational practice. This article proposes a conceptual framework where there can be an extension of medical simulation toward sex education based on advanced sex robots, offering a dynamic, effective and ethical teaching method. This article considers why, how and where as well as what is workable and technically feasible. The target is that, with the help of a new generation of robots, a fulfilling love life will be accessible to every man and woman. The engagement of both, the simulation community itself and the political will, is vital to ensure that a more enlightened and emotionally intelligent sex education can become a reality in the near future.
{"title":"A revolution in sex education using sex robots","authors":"A. Jacquerye","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract After more than four decades of school sex education programs, there is still a great deal of inadequate information around, together with mixed messages and general confusion. Topics covered have ranged from “no sex” to “safe sex”, and there has been a tendency for pupils to drift into the “alternative” areas of pornographic media. This approach may have contributed to generations of women and men finding themselves, in adult life, living with unresolved sexual problems caused by a truncated and disorderly “education”. The arrival of robots presents an opportunity to reconsider the way in which sexuality is taught and to introduce an innovative and ethical educational practice. This article proposes a conceptual framework where there can be an extension of medical simulation toward sex education based on advanced sex robots, offering a dynamic, effective and ethical teaching method. This article considers why, how and where as well as what is workable and technically feasible. The target is that, with the help of a new generation of robots, a fulfilling love life will be accessible to every man and woman. The engagement of both, the simulation community itself and the political will, is vital to ensure that a more enlightened and emotionally intelligent sex education can become a reality in the near future.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"86 1","pages":"351 - 356"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80852192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. Fosch-Villaronga, Anto Čartolovni, Robin L. Pierce
Abstract Pediatric access to exoskeletons lags far behind that of adults. In this article, we promote inclusiveness in exoskeleton robotics by identifying and addressing challenges and barriers to pediatric access to this potentially life-changing technology. We first present available exoskeleton solutions for upper and lower limbs and note the variability in the absence of these. Next, we query the possible reasons for this variability in access, explicitly focusing on children, who constitute a categorically vulnerable population, and also stand to benefit significantly from the use of this technology at this critical point in their physical and emotional growth. We propose the use of a life-based design approach as a way to address some of the design challenges and offer insights toward a resolution regarding market viability and implementation challenges. We conclude that the development of pediatric exoskeletons that allow for and ensure access to health-enhancing technology is a crucial aspect of the responsible provision of health care to all members of society. For children, the stakes are particularly high, given that this technology, when used at a critical phase of a child’s development, not only holds out the possibility of improving the quality of life but also can improve the long-term health prospects.
{"title":"Promoting inclusiveness in exoskeleton robotics: Addressing challenges for pediatric access","authors":"E. Fosch-Villaronga, Anto Čartolovni, Robin L. Pierce","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0021","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Pediatric access to exoskeletons lags far behind that of adults. In this article, we promote inclusiveness in exoskeleton robotics by identifying and addressing challenges and barriers to pediatric access to this potentially life-changing technology. We first present available exoskeleton solutions for upper and lower limbs and note the variability in the absence of these. Next, we query the possible reasons for this variability in access, explicitly focusing on children, who constitute a categorically vulnerable population, and also stand to benefit significantly from the use of this technology at this critical point in their physical and emotional growth. We propose the use of a life-based design approach as a way to address some of the design challenges and offer insights toward a resolution regarding market viability and implementation challenges. We conclude that the development of pediatric exoskeletons that allow for and ensure access to health-enhancing technology is a crucial aspect of the responsible provision of health care to all members of society. For children, the stakes are particularly high, given that this technology, when used at a critical phase of a child’s development, not only holds out the possibility of improving the quality of life but also can improve the long-term health prospects.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"47 1","pages":"327 - 339"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91158512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract This essay examines the debate over the status of sociable robots and relational artifacts through the prism of our relationship to television. In their work on human-technology relations, Cynthia Breazeal and Sherry Turkle have staked out starkly different assessments. Breazeal’s work on sociable robots suggests that these technological artifacts will be human helpmates and sociable companions. Sherry Turkle argues that such relational artifacts seduce us into simulated relationships with technological others that largely serve to exploit our emotional vulnerabilities and undermine authentic human relationships. Drawing on an analysis of the television as our first relational artifact and on the AMC television show Humans, this essay argues that in order to intervene in this debate we need a multimediated theory of technology that situates our technical artifacts in the domestic realm and examines their impact on those populations especially impacted by such technologies, including women, children, and the elderly. It is only then that we will be able to take the full measure of the impact of such sociable technologies on our being human.
{"title":"Learning to be human with sociable robots","authors":"Dennis M. Weiss","doi":"10.1515/pjbr-2020-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This essay examines the debate over the status of sociable robots and relational artifacts through the prism of our relationship to television. In their work on human-technology relations, Cynthia Breazeal and Sherry Turkle have staked out starkly different assessments. Breazeal’s work on sociable robots suggests that these technological artifacts will be human helpmates and sociable companions. Sherry Turkle argues that such relational artifacts seduce us into simulated relationships with technological others that largely serve to exploit our emotional vulnerabilities and undermine authentic human relationships. Drawing on an analysis of the television as our first relational artifact and on the AMC television show Humans, this essay argues that in order to intervene in this debate we need a multimediated theory of technology that situates our technical artifacts in the domestic realm and examines their impact on those populations especially impacted by such technologies, including women, children, and the elderly. It is only then that we will be able to take the full measure of the impact of such sociable technologies on our being human.","PeriodicalId":90037,"journal":{"name":"Paladyn : journal of behavioral robotics","volume":"7 1","pages":"19 - 30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80239071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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