Introduction to the Special Issue on “Designing the Robot Body: Critical Perspectives on Affective Embodied Interaction”

Abstract

Designing and evaluating the affectivity of the robot body has become a frontier topic in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) , with previous studies [ 1 , 2 ] emphasizing the importance of robot embodiment for human-robot communication. In particular, there is growing interest in how the tactile, haptic materiality of the robot influences and mediates users' affective and emotional states. Indeed, the sheer physicality of robotic systems is a crucial factor in the morphology of the robotic platform, and therefore in the robot's appearance to the user. How do the tactile properties of materials subtly influence user interaction? Why do certain morphologies prompt more empathetic interactions than others? How is nonverbal communication affected through the coordination of movements of the torso, head, and appendages to provide more naturalistic-seeming interaction? What is the role of nonverbal communication in the production of artificial empathy? And how do such factors encourage trust and foster confidence for nonexpert users to interact in the first place? This recognition of machinic corporeality has been of practical interest to designers and engineers working across a range of robot forms and functions.