Emotive Displays and Social Robotics

Importance of Social Sciences and Humanities

For social robotics and emotive displays to be integrated into our daily lives, the design of robots requires much more than just the hardware and computer engineering. To seamlessly integrate robotics into our lives, social sciences and humanities play a huge role as well.

If the social sciences and humanities are ignored during the design of social robotics and emotive displays, then the resulting product may provide no real use and traction with the intended users. While the product may work really well and have great engineering behind the design, if the design did not research the intended user and use situation, then the product is useless for the consumer.

When designing a social robot, is important to understand the exact use cases and scenarios in which it will be used. This requires a design-thinking approach, involving researchers and designers to empathize with their users, and follow an iterative process of brainstorming, prototyping, and testing to ensure that the robot really fits the needs of the user. Researching the emotions and cognition of the user in each situation, as well as the emotions and cognition elicited after interacting with the social robot, is essential. This knowledge is required for designing the physical shape (i.e. What form does the robot take to best communicate and build trust for the desired situation?), interface displays (i.e. How does the robot respond to social situations?), and movements (i.e. How does the robot move depending on the situation?). This design process must be integrated throughout manufacturing.