Methodological Problems of Social Robotics

Beskrivelse

The new field of social robotics is a multidisciplinary area of research that presents special methodological challenges to both empirical and conceptual investigations. While researchers in social robotics are aware of these challenges in relation to their disciplinary perspectives, the specific methodological issues of social robotics as a transdisciplinary area have not yet been explicitly addressed and clarified.

The TRANSOR network is the first European network involving the full spectrum of disciplines involved in social robotics research: robotics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, education, cognitive science linguistics, art, philosophy, history of ideas, and information science. The TRANSOR network is thus in a unique position to provide the missing methodological discussion, to work towards a 'methodology for social robotics,' and in this way to make a substantive contribution to international social robotics research.

This inaugural workshop of the TRANSOR workshop series will serve two aims, introducing the direction of research and taking stock of the status quo:

Direction of research: First, the workshop shall bring the overall program into focus--we will try to work towards identifying the key methodological questions for social robotics research as a transdisciplinary area by appreciating the different viewpoints on methodological problems from each single disciplinary perspective, and by getting clear on whether and how social robotics deviates from other interdisciplinary research areas.

Current status: Second, the workshop shall inform about all research initiatives currently undertaken by network members, so that TRANSOR can establish itself as a joint research platform for the exchange of ideas but also for the planning of concrete collaborations on (i) research studies, (ii) grant proposals, and (iii) shared guest researchers.

In line with these aims, the schedule will combine (a) longer paper presentations, (b) short reports, and (c) joint discussion units.

Title: Empirical-methodological-theoretical gatherings of relationships between IT, autists and learning What is social robotics when it comes to dealing with autists (and other children with disabilities) and educational matters? What kinds of (con-)figurations and articulations of children with disabilities and educational robots / educational robotics are made in existing (HRI) research? How do social robotics research contribute to the development of inclusion practices and educational practices? With which benefits? For whom? Under which circumstances? In which contexts? At present I am working my way into the field of social robotics and autism. University College Zealand has new project activities in 2015 dealing with social robotics, education and inclusion. The talk will articulate my own (very preliminary!) entrances (primarily through reading) into the field of social robotics. I will then try to challenge the configurations of social robotics and children with disabilities - that I have (so far) met - drawing on my own relational materialist (inspired by e.g. Latour) research into enactments of relationships between ITs and education in an everyday perspective. Through these alignments, I try to open up discussions of the existing knowledge and knowledge practices of social robotics in education.

Periode	29 jan. 2015
Begivenhedstitel	Methodological Problems of Social Robotics: 1st TRANSOR Workshop
Begivenhedstype	Workshop
Placering	Aarhus, DanmarkVis på kort