Robots in Pain, Humans in Play: Soma as a Qualitative Method for Investigating Intelligent Human-Robot Configurations

In this piece we start to explore the ways in which we somatise our interaction with robots as a symbiotic system - both as human and robot, and as human-robot. We also consider the ways that we might want to take our physical nature (existence), for example how we experience pain, and imbue other non-human entities with it – embed our somatised experiences into technology. To reflect on and explore this we use the examples of play and pain as a provocation to approach the notion of this inter-Soma Design (based on our ongoing research [Benford et al, Ngo et al, Schneiders et al] – ‘inter’ being the cross over from human to beyond human (more-than-human [Coulton et al] entities, in this case, robots. But why is this an important area to study? In many respects we think of robots as something other, something physically external to us, and yet we are seeing the emergence of new ways of physically engaging and interacting with such technologies which highlights the ways that robots become an ‘extension’ of the human and demonstrates the ways in which we may become an ‘extension’ of the robot. In experiencing and examining such systems we are at the early stages of starting to understand and appreciate this human-machine entanglement and need to reflect on how we might start to develop somatic understandings of an embodied symbiotic socio-technical system, predominantly from a design perspective. In considering this we have started to examine how to bring together disciplines and approaches from HCI (Human-Computer Interaction), the humanities and more critical academic understandings to frame and open up the area. Taking a Soma Design [Hook] approach will help us to move beyond language-based thematic responses and analyses to the non-textual felt world, which premises the need for further investigation into a shared felt, embodied world. This in turn moves us away from the perceived abstractions, utility and generalisation of standard technical design approaches and discourses, and instead prioritises the personal, somatic lived individual experience – which we would argue is key to understanding health and wellbeing when we engage in play, experience pain…and pleasure.