Dramaturgy for Devices

Robots are an increasingly part of our daily lives. They help provide medical care, care for our homes and gardens, and support education and the workplace. They are increasingly able to perform simple tasks and convey messages, but they also lack many skills needed for interaction and communication. In research project Dramaturgy for Devices, researchers and artists in robotics and theatre are working together to develop the behaviour and communication skills of robots.

‘It is great that in this project we can collaborate long-term with partners from the theatre field. They have a wealth of knowledge and skills that can be used to make interactions between humans and robots not only better and more effective, but also more imaginative, fun, interesting and challenging. Moreover, theatre is a fantastic tool for exploring and questioning imaginary futures with robots,’ says professor and project leader Maaike Bleeker.

Collaboration between researchers and theatre and dance makers

Dramaturgy for Devices is the first project to bring the worlds of theatre and dance to robotics on this scale to refine human-robot interaction. Theatre and dance makers are collaborating to develop more social robots in this research project that crosses disciplines. The project shows how the performing arts can contribute to innovative design tools and methods and the value of theatre practice for technological innovation. Conversely, the project explores opportunities for robotics in theatre.

In September 2024 the research by four PhD students from the University of Utrecht, TU Delft, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and University of Twente started.

Research-in-progress

Over the next four years, audiences can attend experiments from Dramaturgy for Devices‘ research live. To start with, theatre company Ulrike Quade Company in collaboration with tech-incubator Yes!Delft will present their research-in-progress. They do so in Spot x Kafka: a theatrical exploration of man and technology, of the power of the SPOT robot (Boston Dynamics) in a theatrical context.

Together with Bram Ellens, the researchers are hosting the opening of Utrecht University’s AI event Beyond Technology on 26 November. There, Ellens will show scenes from his performance Robot van de Rommelmarkt, premiering 3 January 2025 at the Concertgebouw.

At the Innovation:Lab event Ctrl+Alt+Play 2024 on 30 November, the audience can interact with service robot Rober.