Rockets, Robots, and AI: Lessons Learned from Science-Fiction Movies and TV for HCI/UX

Abstract

This tutorial present examples from notable science-fiction films and videos that incorporate human-computer interaction (HCI) and user-experience (UX) design and shows what lessons can be learned. The course begins with the advent of movies in the early 1900s (e.g., Melies' "A Trip to the Moon," which was later referenced in the movie "Hugo", 2011) and concludes with the latest sci-fi movies/videos. Originally, many science-fiction movies, taking their cue from pulp science-fiction, focused on rocket ships and interplanetary travel. Later the scope of the stories broadened and deepened to future consumer products, psychological/social issues, and new technologies such as exoskeletons, robots, and artificial intelligence. Once a rarified genre and primarily products of Hollywood (with notable films from Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan), these films/videos now occupy a primary place in modern international popular media, and originate in China, India, or South Korea, and Japan, as well as North America and Europe.