[visionlist] Final call for submissions: "Creative Discovery in Human Robot Interaction"

[Ehud Sharlin]

[Apologies for cross-posting]

Dear Colleagues,

We are seeking submissions to the Multimodal Technologies and
Interaction (MTI) Journal's special issue on "Creative Discovery in
Human Robot Interaction":
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/mti/special_issues/Human_Robot_Interaction

Human–robot interactions (HRI) is an established, but rapidly-growing,
field with many focal points. Whether we focus on humanoid robots,
robot systems, or robotics incorporated in the human body, research in
the area shares one theme: interaction. How do we relate to robots,
how do robots relate to us, and how might we more clearly define the
complexity of interaction with robots? While those working in science
and engineering have taken the field of HRI to exciting areas, robots
can be researched also as social actors, regardless of their technical
attributes. This special issue aims at disseminating cutting edge HRI
work emerging from domains that are less represented in mainstream HRI
venues, work that is informed by performance research, the arts,
architecture, design, literature and philosophy.

While scholarly research inclines itself away from the sensational, a
robust exploration of interaction with robots requires us to address
challenges that involve themes normally considered salacious.
Intimacy, robot friendship, and the potential for the individual to
become more human through robotic augmentation or collaboration are
areas of speculation that promise to inform all aspects of HRI
research. While media outlets sensationalize such areas of
development, they are well underway and the scholarly voice is
sometime missing from this important conversation. Creative research,
performance studies and scholarly advancements in arts, design,
literature and philosophy can offer natural complements to these
cutting edge technological explorations.

In order to address the gap in understanding and to add complexity and
nuance to our knowledge of interaction we need to dedicate time and
effort to a bolder approach. What is the nature of emotional
interaction with robots? What are the possibilities for robotic
extensions of the self? How can novel scholarly work in the
humanities, arts and design inform HRI? For this Special Issue,
authors are encouraged to submit original research articles, case
studies or reviews exploring creative discovery in Human–Robot
Interaction. Of particular interest are articles that explore
theoretical or applied approaches to novel forms of interaction. What
is possible? What seems impossible? How far can we go, and what are
the questions we are reluctant to ask? What rights do robots have?
What rights should robots have? How might performance research be used
to support the integration of robots in society, and of robotic
elements in the human body and/or environment? What is the aesthetic
and expressive potential of robot art? How can we evaluate such work?
What do the arts have to offer us in the way of inspiration for new
avenues of research and development?

This Special Issue seeks provocative and radical HRI scholarly work
that will evoke novel methodical approaches to pressing robotic
interaction questions, offering the community a chance to shake up our
current thinking and practice, and to provide fresh insights into HRI.

Patrick Finn (http://drpatrickfinn.com/)
Ehud Sharlin (http://utouch.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/)
Guest Editors

"Creative Discovery in Human Robot Interaction: Technology and Techniques"
www.mdpi.com/journal/mti/special_issues/Human_Robot_Interaction

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering
and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to
go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the
deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be
published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will
be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles,
review articles as well as short communications are invited. For
planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be
sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor
be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference
proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a
single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other
relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the
Instructions for Authors page. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction
is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal
published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a
manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) is waived for
well-prepared manuscripts submitted to this issue. Submitted papers
should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's
English editing service prior to publication or during author
revisions.

Keywords

Emotive robotic interfaces
Robotic emotions and feelings
Robots in art
Robotics research in the humanities
Intimacy and relationships with robots
Android science
Cyborg interfaces
Performance and technology
Robot ethics and robot rights
Robots in architecture and design
Human-robot interaction


-- 
Ehud Sharlin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
uTouch Research Group, Interactions laboratory, Department of Computer
Science, University of Calgary
2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
Office: +1.403.210.9404
Mobile: +1.403.836.4240
http://utouch.cpsc.ucalgary.ca
http://ilab.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/