Wired.com: "A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been updated for the 21st century with seven small robots playing fairies alongside carbon-based co-stars.
Beyond being a cool thing to do, researchers saw bringing bots to the Bard as a chance to introduce robots to the public and see how people interact with them. Their findings could influence how robots are designed and how they’re used in search-and-rescue operations."
14 comments:
This article was slightly deceptive in its conceit; the article focused a lot less on the inclusion of the robots in the production and how they were utilized and more on the implications of human-robot bonding. Interesting? Yes. Definitely applicable to the outside world and intriguing to psychological endeavors, especially relationship studies? Yes. Incorporation of science and technology in the arts? Not so much.
On a completely separate note, it seems as though the robots were not really used as storytelling devices so much as just fodder to hype a production. The story and its text were still forwarded completely by the actors, and the robots simply contributed spectacle, so far as the article reports. If you're going to use technology to spice up a show, use it in a way that ENHANCES the presentation of the story and contributes to plot, not just for the pretty picture.
I can definitely see Brian's point here but on the up side you have to start somewhere when it comes to the integration of new technology. You have to introduce concepts to audiences so they are able to accept further advancements of this type. I'm sure the robots could have been used in a more productive way to tell the story but I'm impressed that they took the initiative to use new technology.
I'm not sure I agree with what Brian said: I think that the whole point of putting the robots into the production was an effort between the drama and EE/robotics schools to delve into the psychology of human and machine interaction. It was like a preliminary test: since you can't just shove people into mine shafts and then collapse them to utilize the bots, they chose a venue in which unsuspecting people would be able to experience and react to the machines.
I think that this was a fantastic collaboration, and certainly could be used to foster better design and application of robots.
This is a very interesting concept. And the fact the article was featured in Wired rather than a theatre magazine is all the better. I think its great that theatre is having such an affect on people outside of the theatre world. I find it an interesting collaboration of "researchers" and theatre folk. The fact that theatre is having a positive effect on the world is really inspiring. I very much want to work on a show with robots.
Other commenters have pointed out the use of robots to hype the production. While possibly true, please acknowledge that this piece is from Wired, a technology magazine and not a theatrical one. The audience they are writing for is more interested in the technology than in the storytelling.
That said, HOLY CARP ROBOTS. Quite adorable. I would like to see some more integration in the rest of the performance; we talked about the use of real-time-rendered projections in The Tempest. Wired also ran a piece last week about a gown made from flat LEDs - a beautiful aesthetic integration of fashion/costuming and technology.
At CMU, we actually have a great relationship with entertainment researchers, especially those at the ETC. Some of them are actually doing research into robotic actors - robots programmed to make the same choices actors can make and respond back and forth from a pre-programed script. It's interesting, certainly; technology will never replace human interaction, but it can certainly supplement it.
It is fascinating how far technology has brought us in the last few decades, and the fact that we are able to create and use robots to serve a variety of purposes is very interesting. That said, I agree with Brian that this does not mean we have to use art to establish human/robot bonding. There are plenty of instances in which robots could be used without putting them into a Shakespeare production. A more modernized play perhaps would have been sufficient, but this seems to be an instance where they had the technology, so they simply used it.
While I agree with many people here that the integration of robots was more for an experimental purpose that didn't serve the production artistically at all, it is encouraging that producers and designers are thinking about ways to integrate it. Disney had used animatronics for a while in their theme parks to create robotic animals and characters, so introducing machines that move more freely on stage is a logical next step. I'm not sure I buy into the "magic" of seeing rotors and wires, but with future developments the opportunities for self propelled flying machines in scenic design is endless.
I think that whenever robots are used in a performance, it's a pretty cool idea. The idea that theater seems to be slowly becoming an area for things like holograms and now apparently minor robot testing and usage is pretty cool. I'm pretty sure everyone has had a moment when they wished they could hang a light out in the middle of space, or could replace a character like Tinkerbell with a glowing flying robot or some kind. It's nice to see that theater gets robot love like the other industries out there.
This is a very interesting idea. I wonder though what a dramaturge would say about this. Every choice on the stage here at CMU is there for a reason and it all goes back to the text and the initial concept. without that base the inclusion of robots their presence is merely distracting rather than additive. It is also interesting that they wanted to use robots to see how crowds would react to them. In my opinion the best way to do this is to create a show that has a plot structure than includes these robots. This would truly integrate the robots and the observers would be able to see the reaction to them. By using shakespeare their presence might be masked by other issues with the production. The audience might reject them merely on a traditional basis rather then the pure idea of robots
It is definitely interesting to use theater as a way to showcase robot ability. I do not think that anybody is trying to replace real people with robotic performances anytime soon; this is just a cutesy way to present how the robots function and interact with people. This article was definitely supposed to reveal new technological advances, not propose a completely different direction that theater should take.
I don't think that we are far enough advanced yet to have robots performing with other live actors. If all of them are robots, then fine, but people make mistakes and the robots will not be able to react to their mistakes (i.e. say the next line if the actors forget their cue line). I'm also a bit skeptical as to how they would look compared to the other actors in terms of their emotive abilities.
While I do believe that this kind of interaction is intriguing and human-robot interaction is going to come more into focus. While developments in robotics will affect nearly all areas of life, I do believe that the stage is not the correct place to showcase this.
The thing that makes theatre different from other forms of art is that it showcases HUMAN interaction. Seeing two people interact live is what makes theatre different. Now if the telling of the story calls for there to be a robot, that is fine. However, no robot will ever be able to truly replicate human reactions and interactions. While I do not believe that robots should be kept out of the theatre completely, they should not be used to replace the only thing that can emulate human emotions... A HUMAN!
I found it extremely interesting to learn about the interaction of humans with robots and how much robot development can benefit from observing robot human interaction. Usually when I read about robots I find that the information focuses on the physicality of the machines and how to make them more human like in their movements and gestures. However I had never considered what about a robots makes them easier to trust or more comforting to be around, or how this can be very important when we consider using robots to lead people to safety in emergency situations. this article gave me great insight and a new point of view into the development of robots.
This will be an interesting show. Shakespeare is always done in some new location with some new idea. This is definitely new!!!
The rehearsal process would have been intereseting. Was there a robotics department head? Were the robot operators considered actors or technicians. Then again, does it really matter.
Since they realize more work is needed on the robots, what is that next step? What will the next robots in theater do?
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