Meike Uhrig
Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany
Homo Artificiosus
Robotics is on the rise. Trying to create emotionally believable and trustworthy companions for childcare, household or medical service, the main goal is to produce the ultimate ‘buddy’ for users.
Role models for these companions can be found in animated films since the possibilities of animation are especially useful for the creation of what Dziga Vertov called “a man, who is more complete than Adam” (Verov 1923). On one hand, animated films prove to be a perfect playground for experimenting with the possibilities and surveying the potential effects of robots. On the other hand, these animated characters shape the users’ expectations – comprising both desires and fears alike – and put the creators of robots in a difficult position. In a study, we detected potential film robot prototypes regarding the robots’ designs, their abilities, and
the characters’ personalities. These prototypes were tested for their effect on viewers – regarding Anthropomorphism, Animacy and Likeability of the robot characters but also their Perceived Intelligence and Safety among others. In a second step, we computer generated images of robots that
possessed either potentially dangerous signifiers, neutral, or cute markers by combining the designs of film robot prototypes with that of real existent robots, that were rated as either uncanny, artificial,
android and cute in a previous study. We then tested the influence of media knowledge on the judgment of these robots. The results of this study will be presented.
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Meike Uhrig is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Media Studies at University of Tuebingen. Shespent a research year as Visiting Researcher at the Department of Psychology at Stanford University,USA. In her dissertation project she studied the representation, reception and effects of emotions infilm.
Meike Uhrig has been awarded several times for her interdisciplinary projects that span acrosspsychology , film, media and communication studies. Her publications include Human Understanding of Robot Motion: The Role of Velocity and Orientation (International Journal of Social Robotics 2018), Emotion in Animated Films (Routledge 2019), Darstellung, Rezeption und Wirkung von Emotionen im Film [Representation, Reception and Effects of Emotions in Film] (Springer VS 2014), Visual Communication Effects: Moving Images (Wiley-Blackwell 2016) and Emotion Elicitation. A Comparison of Images and Films (Frontiers 2015).