Interfacing & Embodiment: ”Baby Tango” Dancing Robot Attempts to Communicate

Abstract

For decades, robotic arts and dancing robots have been the focus of many research studies and artistic experiments. They started in the early 1920s and began realizing some of their potential as technology advanced in the last decade. This paper presents observations on the current state of the art in dancing robots, wearable haptics, and other theoretical frameworks; then proposes a prototype "Baby Tango" as an artistic experience, based on these observations. This experience reflects on the idea of interfacing and embodiment and their potential effects on the future of human-robot interactions by exploring new means of verbal and non-verbal communication with robots.