DEUS EX MACHINA Towards an Aesthetics of Autonomous and Semi-Autonomous Machines by ELIZABETH ANN JOCHUM B.A., Wellesley College, 2001 M.A., University of Colorado, 2007 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Theatre and Dance 2013 This thesis entitled: Deus Ex Machina: Towards an Aesthetics of Autonomous and Semi-Autonomous Machines written by Elizabeth Ann Jochum has been approved for the Department of Theatre and Dance Professor Oliver Gerland III Professor Todd Murphey Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. iii Jochum, Elizabeth Ann (Ph.D., Theatre, Department of Theatre and Dance) Deus ex Machina: Towards an Aesthetics of Autonomous and Semi-Autonomous Machines Thesis directed by Associate Professor Oliver Gerland III Robots and puppets are linked by a common human impulse: the desire to give life to nonliving objects through the animation of material forms. Like puppets, robots are technological objects capable of revealing aspects of the human experience and have demonstrated the ability to provoke the suspension of disbelief and evoke agency. While the role of puppets and automata in theatre history is well established (Segel 1995, Jurkowski 1996, Reilly 2011), the study of robots in theatre performance is largely unexamined. Citing the presence of autonomous and semi- autonomous machines in live performance and technological developments that result in increasingly responsive and interactive robots, I argue that these technological players warrant critical investigation and study of their methods of representation. Given their ontological link, I use puppetry to construct a phenomenological understanding of robots by considering the following questions: “Does robotic performance constitute a creative act?” and “Can engineers use puppetry to develop robots that better exhibit behaviors are identified with creative performance?” Using States’ concept of “binocular vision” and Dennett’s concept of “intentional iv systems,” I propose that robots evoke agency by demonstrating expressive and responsive behaviors. Contrary to the imitative approach which uses realism and life-like features as a starting point, I suggest that engineers adopt the method of puppetry which utilizes movement as the primary means of expression. This approach results in machines that produce motions that appear less rigid and mechanical and are more likely to avoid the Uncanny Valley (Mori 1970). Citing recent theatrical productions (How to Train Your Dragon, King Kong), and my contributions to a robotic marionette system (Pygmalion Project), I outline how entertainment robotics can use puppetry-inspired choices to create intuitive interfaces for designing and operating robots. I advocate for an approach that acknowledges binocular vision and minimizes the role of mechanical reproduction in favor of essential and abstracted movements. For tele-operated machines, I propose a gesture-based control system that more tightly couples the interaction of the operator’s motions with those of the puppet. I anticipate that these methods will lead to robots that are more dynamic and more likely to evoke agency. For Ravenna & Saar vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was partly supported by the George F. Reynolds Fellowship, a Graduate School Summer Fellowship from the University of Colorado, and the National Science Foundation (under award IIS-0917837). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The robotic system used in the Pygmalion Project was developed in collaboration with Lanny Smoot at Disney Research (patent pending). Choreography for the Pygmalion Project was developed with Joy French and Jessica Damon (CU Boulder), and Stephanie Johnson and Stephen Loch (Brooks & Co Dance). I wish to thank Beth Osnes and Sarah Bay-Cheng for their advice, Annie Zink at the Denver Puppet Theatre who taught me the art of marionettes, Sarah Crockarell for her assistance with building puppets, and Elliot Jonson and Jarvis Schultz for technical explanations and their patience in delivering them. I am deeply grateful to Todd Murphey for inviting me to participate in this exciting project, and for teaching me to never stop asking questions. I am also grateful to Oliver Gerland for his enthusiasm for the project and his diligent direction. Jim Symons taught me a love for scholarship and helped me gain the confidence to pursue it. I thank my parents for teaching me the pleasure that comes from hard work, Markus for teaching me that if you can’t laugh about it then it’s not the right way, and Saar and Ravenna for making the journey joyous. vii CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 3 Arrangement of the Thesis .................................................. 36 II. MACHINE AESTHETICS ........................................................ 43 Chapter Overview ................................................................ 44 Review of the Literature ...................................................... 46 A Theory of Performance ....................................... 46 The Aesthetics of Puppets..................................... 54 Intentional Systems .............................................. 64 Chapter Summary………………………………………………79 III. PROTO-ROBOTIC ACTORS .................................................... 81 Chapter Overview ................................................................ 82 Machine Aesthetics and the Historical Avant-Garde ......... 84 Theories of Autonomous Art Objects ................................... 95 Mechanical Scenery ........................................................... 105 Mechanical Bodies ............................................................. 123 IV. REPRESENTING HUMANS .................................................. 155 Chapter Overview .............................................................. 156 Human-Inspired Robots ..................................................... 158 Kinesis in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction ............... 168 The Pygmalion Project ....................................................... 179 viii The Aesthetics of Autonomy .............................................. 202 V. REPRESENTING ANIMALS……………………………………..214 Chapter Overview……………………………………………...215 Animal-Inspired Robots ..................................................... 218 Becoming-Animal ............................................................... 225 A Tale of Two Puppets ....................................................... 247 Reanimating the Animated…………………………………..274 VI. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS………………………………………286 WORKS CITED……………………..………………………….………………...303 ix FIGURES Figure 1. Uncanny Valley, Mori……………………………………………………….12 2. Robo-Thespian by Engineered Arts………………………………………164 3. Geminoid F by Hiroshi Ishiguro and ATR………………………...…….164 4. RoboKind by Hanson Robotics…..………………………………………...166 5. Brooks & Co Dancers using motion capture technology………………189 6. Computer rendering of marionette (Pygmalion Project)..……………..190 7. Galatea and robotic actuators (Pygmalion Project)……………………193 8. Pygmalion and Galatea marionettes (Pygmalion Project)…………….194 9. Paro Seal……………………………………………………………………....221 10. Sony AIBO…………………………………………………………………….221 11. Leonardo………………………………………………………………………221 12. Giraffe by Julie Taymor (The Lion King)…………………………………258 13. Giraffe by Handspring Puppet Company…………………………………259 14. Joey (foal) puppet by Handspring Puppet Company (War Horse)……..262 15. Joey (full-size) puppet by Handspring Puppet Company (War Horse)..263 16. Toothless puppet by Global Creatures (HTTYD)…………………………280 17. Flying Toothless marionette by Global Creatures (HTTYD)…………....280 18. Voodoo puppeteering rig (Global Creatures)………………………………282 19. KinEtre Project (Microsoft Labs)……………………………………………299 x Art lies halfway between scientific knowledge and mythical or magical thought. -Claude Lévi-Strauss 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 2 In Theatre, Performance, and Technology Christopher Baugh traces the important links between scientific discoveries, technical developments, and their presentation throughout theatre history by calling attention to the profound ways in which science and technology have contributed to evolving modes of narrative and representation: Our thinking, our philosophies, and modes of expression and understanding of humanity have been frequently governed by current technology and the capabilities of machinery. […] Inevitably, therefore, technologies used in theatre and performance cannot exist in isolation from the larger issues of natural philosophy and science that, since Copernicus and Galileo, have attempted to explain the existence of the world, the behavior of materials and objects, and of humanity. (Baugh 8) Technological innovation and theatrical representation have been linked since the beginning of theatre history: from the use of mechane and deus ex machina on classical Greek stages to the staging of humanoid robots in contemporary productions, the use of emerging technologies in live performance reflects the shifting complexities of human values and beliefs concerning scientific discovery and