1. Where The Action Is
On Embodied Interaction &
Psychology
Jan Smeddinck (#1976868)
jan83 # tzi.de
Psychological Foundations of
Embodiment, Marion Wittstock
Uni Bremen, Germany (2009)
http://synthese.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/intelligent-agent.jpg
2. The Book
⢠Where The Action Is:
The Foundations of Embodied
Interaction
â 2001, Cambridge, MIT Press
⢠Paul Dourish:
â Prof. of Informatics @ Univ. of
California
â Glasgow > Uni. Edinburgh >
Cambridge (EuroPARC) >
London (UCL, PhD) > Palo Alto
(Xerox) > Cupertino (Apple) >
Los Angeles (UCI)
(http://www.dourish.com/)
⢠Underline the big picture!
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/pdourish/3103575261/sizes/o/ http://mitpress.mit.edu/images/products/books/0262041960-f30.jpg
4. Approaching Embodiment
⢠TED Talk:
â Michael Merzenich:
Exploring the
rewiring of the brain
â Neuroscience (@
11:02 â 14:07)
â http://www.ted.com/index.ph
p/talks/michael_merzenich_o
n_the_elastic_brain.html
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5. Dourishâs Foundations of
Embodiment
⢠Observations in:
â Tangible computing
⢠physical, distributed interaction
⢠augmented reality (vs. VR)
⢠computation in the physical world (ref. ubiq.
comp.), non-sequencial
â Social Computing
⢠human interaction has social factors
⢠observe real social behavior to create
beneficial designs
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6. Tangible Computing
⢠Dourish gives many examples from the
80s and 90s
â Wellnerâs Digital Desk
â Jeremijenkoâs Live Wire
â Bishopâs Marble Answering Machine
⢠Great concept, everybody loved it, but it never
kicked off ⌠why?
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http://www.ijdesign.org/ojs/public/journals/1/214/web/Figure2.jpg
7. HCI History
⢠HCI and interaction paradigms
electronic symbolic textual graphical
⢠More symbolic ⌠less physical
⢠Flexibility vs. Affordance / Usability
⢠Information appliances (later)
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8. Tangible Computing Today
⢠TED Talk:
â David Merrill: Siftables: The Toy Blocks
That Think
â http://www.ted.com/talks/david_merrill_demos_siftables
_the_smart_blocks.html
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http://profissaoempreendedor.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/siftables.jpg
9. Social Computing
social behavior ethnography computer systems
⢠!= James Surowiecki's âThe Wisdom of Crowdsâ
⢠Examples: Air Traffic Control, Printshop
⢠Cultural, social, organizational context
⢠Focus on setting & practices
⢠Accountability
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10. Drawn Together
⢠Focus on human skills & activities
⢠Participation in the world (physical and
social reality)
⢠Spread in space & time (not system
time)
⢠-> Context (actions <-> settings)
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11. Embodiment
⢠Theory of interaction
⢠Presence & Practice
â About engaged participation
â Pre-ontological
⢠Relation to Phenomenology (Philosophy)
â Study of phenomena of experience &
perception
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12. Biologically Inspired Robotics
Auke Ijspeert, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland
⢠Extensive experiments with segmented,
amphibian robots
⢠Animal locomotion:
â Movement is fundamental to animals
â They coordinate motion towards and end-point
trajectory
â Rhythms for locomotion are due to central pattern
generators
â General Model:
â CPGs (central pattern generators) can also produce
fictive locomotion
⢠In segmented amphibian robots, multiple
oscillator networks (one per segment, all
identical) generate complex motion patterns
⢠Animals can run / walk / fly
with most of their brains Cerebal Cerebellum Brain Stem Spinal Cord
Cortex
removed (via electrical â˘timing, â˘selection of â˘CPGs and
spinal chord stimulation) â˘define motor coordination, motor program reflexes
plan learning
⢠CPGs can be activated /
entrained by sensory signals
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13. Phenomenology
⢠Away from Cartesian dualism
Maurice Merleau- Ludwig
Edmund Husserl Martin Heidegger Alfred Schutz Ponty Wittgenstein
â˘Founder of â˘Ending â˘The â˘The â˘Semiotician
Phenomenology Cartesianism Phenomenology Phenomenology â˘âThe meaning of
â˘From abstract (separation of of the Social of Perception a word is how
Galilean science inner mental life World â˘Body + phisical we use it.â
to things that and outside â˘Life-world & & social skills â˘There is no
matter world) intersubjectivity â˘Embodiment truth
â˘Questions of â˘Dasein (being- â˘language games
experience, in-the-world)
memory, mind, â˘No theory prior
cognition to praxis
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14. Embodiment & Meaning
⢠Because interaction is about
conveying meaningâŚ
⢠Three aspects of meaning:
â Ontology (entities, concepts,
objects)
â Intersubjectivity (how to share
meaning)
â Intentionality (directedness ->
semiotics)
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2007/11/071106123725-large.jpg
15. Embodied Interaction in
Practice
⢠Media Space
â Awareness & hybrid spaces
⢠Document Management
â The HOW of structures is
important
⢠Today we have much more:
â Social networks
â Agile management
â Embodied agents
â Touch / Multitouch
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http://www.billbuxton.com/BG_FGfig2.gif
16. Design Principles
1. Computation is a medium
(communication)
2. Meaning arises on multiple levels
(objects, signs, metaphors)
3. Users, not designers, create and
communicate meaning
â Now: User generated context (UGX)
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17. Design Principles
4. Users, not designers, manage coupling
â relating entities for the purpose of action
5. Embodied technologies participate in
the world they represent
â artifacts-in-use vs. separation of object
and representation
6. Embodied interaction turns action into
meaning
â no meaning in the system itself, but in the
way it is used
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18. Conclusions & Directions
After Dourish
⢠Information appliances vs.
convergence
â No conflict, reallyâŚ
⢠Invisible interfaces
â Not a good idea in terms of embodiment
â Maybe just a bad termâŚ
⢠System design â psychology â HCI â
CSCW â social sciences
⢠Persistence of symbolic interactionâŚ
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19. Reflections
⢠Missing reference to emotions and emphasis
on learningâŚ
⢠Wonât embodiment limit the power of
software?
â Well, we can increase the bandwidth of
embodied interfaces⌠(6th sense)
⢠Embodiment is popular and
many more pieces are added
to the big puzzleâŚ
⢠Huge impact on modern
Psychology (Biopsychology)
â Richard David Precht
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Mad_scientist_transparent_background.svg/641px-Mad_scientist_transparent_background.svg.png
20. Pushing the Boundaries of
Embodiment
⢠TED Talk:
â Pattie Maes: Sixth Sense (@ 02:10 - âŚ)
â http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/pattie_maes_demos
_the_sixth_sense.html
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http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/wuw.jpg
22. Sources & References
⢠Paul Dourish @ ICS
⢠http://www.ics.uci.edu/~jpd/embodie
d/
⢠Please also refer to the links on the
slidesâŚ
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