VR Communicative Robots, Mari Conradie | 2021-2022 HIVE Intern Showcase

Project: VR Communicative Robots
Intern: Mari Conradie
Supervisors: Dr Eleanor Sandry, Dr Gwyneth Peaty (Curtin University School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry), Carley Tillett (Curtin HIVE)
Scholarship funded by: Curtin HIVE
Abstract: Human-machine communication used mainly to be about pushing buttons and flicking switches, but now people are becoming increasingly familiar with voice interfaces, such as Siri and Google Duplex. What might the future hold for human-machine communication? Although social robots are often designed to talk and express themselves nonverbally in humanlike ways, this project takes a different direction. Based on the descriptions of futuristic robots (‘drones’) from the Culture series of SF novels by Iain M. Banks, we have created a VR model allowing people to experience the communication of decidedly non-humanlike machines. Banks’ drones are floating robots. Rarely humanoid, they are more often machinelike in form, with shifting, colour-changing auras they use to display emotions. These robots therefore communicate through language, but also use colour and movement to express themselves in a way that does not mimic humans directly. By developing this VR model, we hope to find out how people might respond to this novel form of communication, which highlights the differences between humans and machines, even as they coexist in a shared space.
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Now in its seventh year, the Curtin HIVE Summer Internship Program provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable research project experience in visualisation related topics. Interns are supervised by leading researchers and undertake challenging research projects utilising the resources and support provided by the HIVE. Supervisors, sponsors and industry benefit from the opportunity to explore new techniques and technologies for their research area. For more information see www.hive.curti....