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Robots on Stage Washington University in St. Louis Washington University Open Scholarship All Computer Science and Engineering Research Computer Science and Engineering Report Number: WUCS-2008-19 2008-08-01 Robots on Stage Chris Wilson As technology continues to advance, robots are more likely to make their way into everyday life. As these robots gradually take on more complicated everyday jobs that they require working with humans directly, the study of Human-Robot Integration (HRI) will gain more importance. The task of studying human-robot interaction must combine a wide array of subjects ranging from computer science to performance. This dissertation describes a collaborative effort between the Media & Machines Lab and the Performing Arts Department at Washington University in Saint Louis to study the relationship between HRI and the work of actors and the theater.... Read complete abstract on page 2. Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cse_research Recommended Citation Wilson, Chris, "Robots on Stage" Report Number: WUCS-2008-19 (2008). All Computer Science and Engineering Research. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cse_research/924 Department of Computer Science & Engineering - Washington University in St. Louis Campus Box 1045 - St. Louis, MO - 63130 - ph: (314) 935-6160. This technical report is available at Washington University Open Scholarship: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/ cse_research/924 Robots on Stage Chris Wilson Complete Abstract: As technology continues to advance, robots are more likely to make their way into everyday life. As these robots gradually take on more complicated everyday jobs that they require working with humans directly, the study of Human-Robot Integration (HRI) will gain more importance. The task of studying human-robot interaction must combine a wide array of subjects ranging from computer science to performance. This dissertation describes a collaborative effort between the Media & Machines Lab and the Performing Arts Department at Washington University in Saint Louis to study the relationship between HRI and the work of actors and the theater. "Lewis" the robot participated in 2 major theatrical events, one class lesson, several rehearsals and one user study involving a total of 9 actors, about 25 students, 3 directors and was seen by over 300 audience members. These initial attempts at understanding human-robot interaction lay a foundation for future study in this emerging field. Department of Computer Science & Engineering 2008-19 Robots on Stage Authors: Chris Wilson Abstract: As technology continues to advance, robots are more likely to make their way into everyday life. As these robots gradually take on more complicated everyday jobs that the require working with humans directly, the study of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) will gain more importance. The task of studying human-robot interaction must combine a wide array of subjects ranging from computer science to performance. This dissertation describes a collaborative effort between the Media & Machines Lab and the Performing Arts Department at Washington University in Saint Louis to study the relationship between HRI and the work of actors and the theater. "Lewis" the robot participated in 2 major theatrical events, one class lesson, several rehearsals and one user study involving a total of 9 actors, about 25 students, 3 directors and was seen by over 300 audience members. These initial attempts at understanding human-robot interaction lay a foundation for future study in this emerging field. Type of Report: MS Thesis Department of Computer Science & Engineering - Washington University in St. Louis Campus Box 1045 - St. Louis, MO - 63130 - ph: (314) 935-6160 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ROBOTS ON STAGE by Chris Wilson Prepared under the direction of William Smart A thesis presented to the Engineering School of Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science August, 2008 Saint Louis, Missouri WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ABSTRACT ROBOTS ON STAGE by Chris Wilson ADVISOR: William Smart August, 2008 Saint Louis, Missouri As technology continues to advance, robots are more likely to make their way into everyday life. As these robots gradually take on more complicated everyday jobs that the require working with humans directly, the study of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) will gain more importance. The task of studying human-robot interaction must combine a wide array of subjects ranging from computer science to performance. This dissertation describes a collaborative effort between the Media & Machines Lab and the Performing Arts Department at Washington University in Saint Louis to study the relationship between HRI and the work of actors and the theater. \Lewis" the robot participated in 2 major theatrical events, one class lesson, several rehearsals and one user study involving a total of 9 actors, about 25 students, 3 directors and was seen by over 300 audience members. These initial attempts at understanding human-robot interaction lay a foundation for future study in this emerging field. Contents List of Tables :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: iv List of Figures ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: vi 1 Robot as Actor ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1 1.1 Robots and Theater . 3 1.2 Lewis the Robot . 4 2 Basic Acting Principles ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 6 3 Day o'Shame :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 10 3.1 Overview . 10 3.1.1 Dr. Oddlust . 12 3.2 Observations . 14 3.2.1 Rehearsal . 14 3.2.2 Performance . 15 3.3 Conclusions . 16 4 Robots in Acting Class :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 17 4.1 Viewpoints . 17 4.2 Viewpoints Class . 21 4.3 Observations . 22 5 The Study :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 24 5.1 Preparation . 24 5.2 Performance . 27 ii 5.3 Results . 29 5.3.1 Overall . 29 5.3.2 Piece 1: Threat from a Stranger . 30 5.3.3 Piece 2: Forgiveness . 34 5.3.4 Piece 3: Flirt . 37 5.4 Conclusions . 40 5.4.1 Improvements to the Study . 40 5.4.2 Future Work . 42 Appendix A Scripts :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 43 A.1 Red Actor's Script . 43 A.1.1 Threat . 43 A.1.2 Forgiveness . 44 A.1.3 Flirt . 45 A.2 Blue Actor's Scripts . 46 A.2.1 Threat . 46 A.2.2 Forgiveness . 46 A.2.3 Flirt . 47 Appendix B Pre-Performance Questionnaire :::::::::::::::::::::::: 48 Appendix C Post-Performance Questionnaire ::::::::::::::::::::::: 50 Bibliography :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 53 iii List of Tables 5.1 Performance Pieces . 28 5.2 Average Overall Enjoyment . 29 5.3 Average Overall Understanding . 30 5.4 Average Enjoyment of Piece 1 . 31 5.5 Average Enjoyment of Piece 1 with Robot . 31 5.6 Average Understanding of Red Actor in Piece 1 . 31 5.7 Understand of Both Actors with the Robot in Piece 1 . 32 5.8 Understand of Robot and Human in Piece 1 on first viewing . 32 5.9 Conflict in Piece 1 on first viewing . 32 5.10 Winner of Piece 1 . 33 5.11 The Red Actor Wanted Something in Piece 1 . 33 5.12 Descriptive Word for the Red and Blue Actor in Piece 1 . 34 5.13 Descriptive Word for the Red Actor in Piece 1 . 34 5.14 Average Enjoyment of Piece 2 . 35 5.15 Average Understanding of Both Actors in Piece 2 . 35 5.16 Understand of Robot and Human in Piece 2 on first viewing . 35 5.17 Winner of Piece 2 . 36 5.18 Red and Blue Actor Want Something in Piece 2 . 36 5.19 Descriptive Words for Both Actor in Piece 2 . 37 5.20 Descriptive Words for the Red Actor in Piece 2 . 37 5.21 Average Understand of Both Actors in Piece 3 . 38 5.22 Understand of Robot and Human in Piece 2 on first viewing . 38 5.23 Conflict in Piece 3 . 38 iv 5.24 Red Actor Want Something in Piece 3 . 39 5.25 Desciptive Words for Both Actors in Piece 3 . 39 5.26 Descriptive Words for the Red Actor in Piece 3 . 39 v List of Figures 1.1 Robonaut . 2 1.2 Lewis the Robot . 5 3.1 Rehearsal . 14 3.2 Performance . 15 4.1 Viewpoints Exercise . 21 5.1 Top View of a Scene . 26 5.2 User Study Performance . 29 vi 1 Chapter 1 Robot as Actor As technology continues its relentless advance, the likelihood of robots taking part in our everyday lives is growing. The best example today is the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner. The Roomba is specifically designed for the single task of vacuuming a room and, as such, its interface is more like that of a tool or appliance. There is little in the way of interaction as the Roomba works. However, as robots gradually take on more complicated everyday tasks, and those tasks require working with humans more direct and subtle ways, the study of Human-Robot Interaction(HRI) will gain more importance. The average person, without a technical understanding of computer processes or sensors, must be able to give instructions to the robot, understand feedback from it, and coordinate with a robot in a way that is natural and comfortable. There have been robots that were built for the sole purpose of interaction with humans. These robots tend to have high production value created by special effects artists such as the MIT Media Lab's collaboration with artist Stan Winston on the robot Leonardo [9]. Often big eyes and eyebrows are added to make the robot look like an animated character; they often have a \cutesy" feel, with extremely complicated and subtle articulation that is difficult to control. Some are even covered in fur. The purpose is to hide the fact that they are actually robots, and to evoke an affective response. From a task-achieving perspective these robots serve very little functional purpose. They are often immobile and present such a tricky control problem that they turn out to be more like high tech puppets with pre-scripted controllers than autonomous robots.
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