Hostname: page-component-69cd664f8f-84qt4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-13T01:29:33.438Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The aesthetics of robot design: towards a classification of morphologies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2024

Dean Aaron Ollah Mobed ,
Andrew Wodehouse  and
Anja Maier
Dean Aaron Ollah Mobed*
Affiliation:
University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom
Andrew Wodehouse
Affiliation:
University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom
Anja Maier
Affiliation:
University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
*
[email protected]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Robots are becoming increasingly prevalent in the workplace. As Industry 5.0 pursues human-centric technologies, a greater understanding of what effects aesthetics has on those interacting with robots is needed. This paper sets out robot morphology as a way to characterise key form types, and proposes seven classifications: anthropomorphism, zoomorphism, phytomorphism, artemorphism, functiomorphism, amorphism, and neomorphism. Through an assessment of the current robot aesthetic landscape, design dimensions are identified with examples that can inform future robot design.

Keywords

industrial designaestheticsdesign aestheticsrobot aestheticsmorphology
Type
Industrial Design
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 4: DESIGN 2024 , May 2024 , pp. 2413 - 2422
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2024.

References

Akundi, A., Euresti, D., Luna, S., Ankobiah, W., Lopes, A., and Edinbarough, I. (2022), "State of Industry 5.0—Analysis and Identification of Current Research Trends", Applied System Innovation, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/asi5010027CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartneck, C., Kanda, T., Ishiguro, H. and Hagita, N., (2007), "Is the uncanny valley an uncanny cliff?", Proceedings of the RO-MAN 2007-The 16th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, Jeju, Korea (South), August 26-27, 2007, IEEE, pp. 368-373. https://doi.org/10.1109/RO-MAN57019.2023CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bednar, P. M., & Welch, C. (2020), "Socio-Technical Perspectives on Smart Working: Creating Meaningful and Sustainable Systems", Information Systems Frontiers, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 281–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-019-09921-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colgate, JE, Wannasuphoprasit, W, and Peshkin, MA. (1996), "Cobots: Robots for Collaboration with Human Operators." Proceedings of the ASME 1996 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. Dynamic Systems and Control. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. November 17–22, 1996. pp. 433-439. https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE1996-0367Google Scholar
Cusano, N. (2022), "Cobot and Sobot: For a new Ontology of Collaborative and Social Robots", Foundations of Science, pp. 1143-1155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-022-09860-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiSalvo, C. and Gemperle, F., (2003), "From seduction to fulfillment: the use of anthropomorphic form in design", Proceedings of the 2003 international conference on Designing pleasurable products and interfaces, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, June 23-26, 2003, DPPI’03, Pittsburgh, pp. 67-72.Google Scholar
Doncieux, S., Bredeche, N., Mouret, J. B., and (Gusz) Eiben, A. E. (2015), "Evolutionary robotics: What, why, and where to", Frontiers Robotics AI, Vol. 2 No. MAR, pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2015.00004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Commission, European (2021), Industry 5.0, Publication Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.Google Scholar
Fischer, K. (2019), "Why collaborative robots must be social (and even emotional) actors", Techne: Research in Philosophy and Technology, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 270–289. https://doi.org/10.5840/techne20191120104Google Scholar
Folkmann, M.N. (2010), “Evaluating Aesthetics in Design: A Phenomenological Approach,” Design issues, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 40–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gasparetto, A., and Scalera, L. (2019), "A Brief History of Industrial Robotics in the 20th Century", Advances in Historical Studies, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp.24–35. https://doi.org/10.4236/ahs.2019.81002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Germak, C., Lupetti, M.L. and Giuliano, L., (2015), "Ethics of robotic aesthetics", Design and semantics of form and movement (DeSForM 2015): Aesthetics of interaction: Dynamic, Multisensory, Wise, pp.165-172Google Scholar
Green, S. A., Billinghurst, M., Chen, X., and Chase, J. G. (2008), "Human-Robot Collaboration: A Literature Review and Augmented Reality Approach in Design", In International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 1-18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanson, D. (2006), "Exploring the Aesthetic Range for Humanoid Robots", Proceedings of the ICCS/CogSci-2006 long symposium: Toward social mechanisms of android science, pp.39- 42.Google Scholar
Haug, A. (2016), "A Framework for the Experience of Product Aesthetics", Design Journal, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 809–826. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2016.1200342CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hegel, F., Muhl, C., Wrede, B., Hielscher-Fastabend, M., and Sagerer, G. (2009), "Understanding social robots". Proceedings of the 2nd International Conferences on Advances in Computer-Human Interactions, ACHI, Cancun, Mexico, 2009, pp. 169–174. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACHI.2009.51CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jelisavcic, M., de Carlo, M., Hupkes, E., Eustratiadis, P., Orlowski, J., Haasdijk, E., Auerbach, J. E., and Eiben, A. E. (2017), "Real-World Evolution of Robot Morphologies: A Proof of Concept", Artificial Life, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 206–235. https://doi.org/10.1162/ARTL_a_00231CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jørgensen, J., Bojesen, K. B., and Jochum, E. (2022), "Is a Soft Robot More “Natural”? Exploring the Perception of Soft Robotics in Human–Robot Interaction", International Journal of Social Robotics, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 95–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-021-00761-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krippendorff, K. (1989), "On the Essential Contexts of Artifacts or on the Proposition That “Design Is Making Sense (Of Things).”", Design Issues, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 9-39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leite, I., Martinho, C., and Paiva, A. (2013), "Social Robots for Long-Term Interaction: A Survey", International Journal of Social Robotics, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 291–308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-013-0178-yCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Löffler, D., Dorrenbacher, J., and Hassenzahl, M. (2020), "The uncanny valley effect in zoomorphic robots: The U-shaped relation between animal likeness and likeability", Proceedings of the 2020 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, Cambridge, United Kingdom, March 23 - 26, 2020, HRI, pp. 261–270. https://doi.org/10.1145/3319502.3374788CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matheson, E., Minto, R., Zampieri, E. G. G., Faccio, M., and Rosati, G. (2019), "Human-robot collaboration in manufacturing applications: A review", Robotics, Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics8040100CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menninghaus, W., Wagner, V., Wassiliwizky, E., Schindler, I., Hanich, J., Jacobsen, T., and Koelsch, S. (2019), "What are aesthetic emotions?", Psychological Review, Vol. 126, No. 2, pp. 171–195. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000135CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mothersill, P.P.J. (2014), The Form of Emotive Design, (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).Google Scholar
Norman, D., 2004. Affordances and design. Unpublished article. Available online at: http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/affordances-and-design.html. (accessed 14.11.2023).Google Scholar
Park, J. and Kim, G.J., (2009), "Robots with projectors: an alternative to anthropomorphic HRI", Proceedings of the 4th ACM/IEEE international conference on Human robot interaction, March 11-13, 2009, San Diego, USA, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, pp. 221-222.Google Scholar
Peshkin, M.A., Colgate, J.E., Wannasuphoprasit, W., Moore, C.A., Gillespie, R.B. and Akella, P., 2001. Cobot architecture. IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, 17(4), pp.377-390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pinney, J., Carroll, F., and Newbury, P. (2022), "Human-robot interaction: the impact of robotic aesthetics on anticipated human trust", PeerJ Computer Science, Vol. 8, pp. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.7717/PEERJ-CS.837CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pizoń, J., Cioch, M., Kanski, L., and García, E. S. (2022), "Cobots Implementation in the Era of Industry 5.0 Using Modern Business and Management Solutions", Advances in Science and Technology Research Journal, Vol. 16 No. 6, pp. 166–178. https://doi.org/10.12913/22998624/156222CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poffenberger, A.T. and Barrows, B.E., 1924. "The feeling value of lines", Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp.187-205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, P.R. and Wensveen, S.A. (2010), "Designing aesthetics of behavior in interaction: Using aesthetic experience as a mechanism for design", International Journal of Design, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp.3-13.Google Scholar
Şener, B., and Pedgley, O. (2021), "Surface texture as a designed material-product attribute". In: Pedgley, O. (Ed.), Rognoli, V. (Ed.), Karana, E. (Ed.) Materials Experience 2: Expanding Territories of Materials and Design. Elsevier, pp. 67–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819244-3.00021-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherwani, F., Asad, M. M., & Ibrahim, B. S. K. K. (2020), "Collaborative Robots and Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0)", Proceeding in 2020 International Conference on Emerging Trends in Smart Technologies (ICETST), Karachi, Pakistan, March 26-27, 2020, IEEE, pp. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICETST49965.2020CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siciliano, B., Khatib, O. (2016), "Robotics and the Handbook", In: Kröger, T. (eds.), Springer Handbook of Robotics, (Vol. 200). Berlin: springer, pp. 1-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, P. and Nicholas, D. (2018), "The fourth industrial revolution: Shaping new era", Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 72, No. 1, pp.17-22. https://doi.org/10.2307/26588339Google Scholar
Tondu, B. and Bardou, N., (2009), "Aesthetics and robotics: Which form to give to the human-like robot?", International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol. 3 No. 10, pp.650-657.Google Scholar
Trivyzadakis, N. and Zisi, A. (2016), "Applying aesthetics through lighting: A case study", National Lighting Conference for Young Scientists, Lighting, Sofia, Bulgaria, 21 – 23 October 2016, LIGHTING Bulgeria, pp.105-108.Google Scholar
Urquhart, L., & Wodehouse, A. (2021), "The Emotive and Semantic Content of Pattern: An Introductory Analysis", Design Journal, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2020.1831768CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vicentini, F. (2021). "Collaborative Robotics: A Survey", Journal of Mechanical Design, Vol. 143 No. 4, pp. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4046238CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vogel-Heuser, B., and Hess, D. (2016), "Guest Editorial Industry 4.0-Prerequisites and Visions", IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 411–413 https://doi.org/10.1109/TASE.2016.2523639Google Scholar
Walker, S. (2001), "Beyond Aesthetics Identity, Religion and Design", The Design Journal, Vol.4, No. 2, pp. 30–41. https://doi.org/10.2752/146069201790718621CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weerdesteijn, J. M. W., Desmet, P. M. A., and Gielen, M. A. (2005), "Moving design: To design emotion through movement", Design Journal, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 28–39. https://doi.org/10.2752/146069205789338324CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, J., Benson, L., Bruce, M., Hogg, M. K., and Oulton, D. (2001), "Predicting the Future: An Overview of the Colour Forecasting Industry", The Design Journal, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 15–31. https://doi.org/10.2752/146069201789378450CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wodehouse, A., Brisco, R., Broussard, E. and Duffy, A. (2018), "Pareidolia: Characterising facial anthropomorphism and its implications for product design", Journal of Design Research, Vol. 16 No.2, pp.83-98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xenakis, I., and Arnellos, A. (2013), "The relation between interaction aesthetics and affordances", Design Studies, Vol. 34, No.1, pp. 57–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2012.05.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xu, X., Lu, Y., Vogel-Heuser, B., and Wang, L. (2021), "Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0—Inception, conception and perception", Journal of Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 61, pp. 530–535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2021.10.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar