iHDI 2020: Interdisciplinary Workshop on Human-Drone Interaction

Kristina Höök Professor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Aerial drones enable sophisticated functionality, largely infeasible with any other technology. They are increasingly employed to enable a range of previously unseen applications, including artistic performances. When we interact with drones, we, in a sense, get superhuman powers: we become cyborgs or centaurs as we get entangled with these autonomous systems. But how is ethics is enacted and shaped in relation to the design of drones?

In a recent study, through a detailed qualitative analysis on the design process of bringing out an aerial drone "choir," Prof. Höök's research team explored how ethicality is shaped in the interaction between a choreographer, a performer, and a choir of five drones, performing together on the opera stage. From a somaesthetics perspective on ethics following Richard Shusterman, the process of crafting rich experiences together with drones can, if done right, deepen sensory appreciation skills, leading to an increased understanding of underlying somatic drivers and imposed norms. Somatic awareness thereby enables a richer repertoire of movements, expanding the ability to freely choose how to act, and cultivating empathy towards others. This shifts our understanding of ethics in HCI as solely about abstract rules or policies ‘out there,’ to also concern the specifics of how technology informs or dictates movement and experience.

In her keynote, Prof. Höök will discuss how a somaesthetic design lens lets us see ethics situated in and enacted with our somas – our concrete, practical, everyday lives – and thus “requires considering ethical disruptions in specific corporeal ways,” as framed by Maria Puig de la Bellacasa. As we are constantly changing, ethics is not so much a stable but rather a collective process – an ongoing, intersubjective engagement that transforms the way we think, feel, and engage with principles and ideas. The idea of ethics as something dynamic and emergent means that we can contribute to its shaping, but that the shaping happens in interaction with other humans and non-humans.

Mehmet Aydın Baytaş received his PhD from Koç University's interdisciplinary Design, Technology and Society program. He is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow at Qualisys AB, and a research affiliate at Chalmers University of Technology's t2i Lab. His current research addresses the design space of autonomous drones operating in human-populated environments.

Markus Funk is a senior user experience researcher at Cerence Inc, Germany. Markus is an expert in human-drone interaction and flying user interfaces.

Sara Ljungblad is an Assistant Professor at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology. She is interested in inclusive design methods and has done several long-term studies understand experiences of robotic products in everyday settings. She is currently funded by WASP-HS to conduct constructive and critical design research on "social drones."

Jérémie Garcia is an Assistant Professor at ENAC, Toulouse, France. He is interested in designing interactions to author and operate automated systems including drones and air traffic control.

Joseph La Delfa is a PhD student in the School of Design at RMIT University. His research is focused on bodily awareness and reflection through HDI. His experiences in product design and engineering, from concept to production and maintenance, covers industries including glassware, hand tools, furniture, and service design.

Florian 'Floyd' Mueller is a Professor at Monash University, where he directs the Exertion Games Lab. His research straddles the intersection of human-computer interaction, the body, and gaming; including the use of drones in exercise and recreation.