Considerations Concerning a Methodology for Musical Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction

Abstract

Robot technology is increasingly employed in artistic (musical) applications and as modeling tool for the investigation of general cognitive abilities and music related behavior in particular. Apart from the specifications of required system behavior and technological aspects of system design/implementation, problems occur concerning the evaluation of the systems. In recent approaches, techniques such as collecting informal reports, perceptual tests, video-based observational studies, or rating scales have been employed. Questions arise, however, as to the reliability and validity of these measures, and the lack of standardization diminishes the comparability of different studies. To attack these problems, we regard the paradigm of systematic observation as one suitable approach to study musical human-robot behavior. In a pilot study, observers were asked to assign labels to sequences of robot movements exhibiting features derived from expressive movements of musicians. Taking into account the implications of these remarks for the design of investigations, the generality of results may still be limited, e.g. by the choice of participants. As long as results of this kind cannot be integrated into a coherent theoretical framework, these considerations may run counter to recent attempts to use musical behavior as a testing field for principles underlying more general cognitive abilities/processes.