Role-play as responsible robotics: The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview for investigating hazardous human-robot interactions

The development of responsible robotics requires paying attention to responsibility within the research process in addition to responsibility as the outcome of research. This paper describes the preparation and application of a novel method to explore hazardous human-robot interactions. The Virtual...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Webb, HM, Dumitru, M, Van Maris, A, Winfield, A, Winkle, K, Jirotka, M
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media 2021
_version_ 1826260653569998848
author Webb, HM
Dumitru, M
Van Maris, A
Winfield, A
Winkle, K
Jirotka, M
author_facet Webb, HM
Dumitru, M
Van Maris, A
Winfield, A
Winkle, K
Jirotka, M
author_sort Webb, HM
collection OXFORD
description The development of responsible robotics requires paying attention to responsibility within the research process in addition to responsibility as the outcome of research. This paper describes the preparation and application of a novel method to explore hazardous human-robot interactions. The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview is an approach that enables participants to engage with scenarios in which a human being comes to physical harm whilst a robot is present and may have had a malfunction. Participants decide what actions they would take in the scenario and are encouraged to provide their observations and speculations on what happened. Data collection takes place online, a format that provides convenience as well as a safe space for participants to role play a hazardous encounter with minimal risk of suffering discomfort or distress. We provide a detailed account of how our initial set of Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interviews were conducted and describe the ways in which it proved to be an efficient approach that generated useful findings, and upheld our project commitments to Responsible Research and Innovation. We argue that the Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview is a flexible and fruitful method that can be adapted to benefit research in human robot interaction and advance responsibility in robotics.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T19:09:05Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:16287797-9065-45bb-b095-ef7e1cb4851e
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-06T19:09:05Z
publishDate 2021
publisher Frontiers Media
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:16287797-9065-45bb-b095-ef7e1cb4851e2022-03-26T10:29:41ZRole-play as responsible robotics: The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview for investigating hazardous human-robot interactionsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:16287797-9065-45bb-b095-ef7e1cb4851eEnglishSymplectic ElementsFrontiers Media2021Webb, HMDumitru, MVan Maris, AWinfield, AWinkle, KJirotka, MThe development of responsible robotics requires paying attention to responsibility within the research process in addition to responsibility as the outcome of research. This paper describes the preparation and application of a novel method to explore hazardous human-robot interactions. The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview is an approach that enables participants to engage with scenarios in which a human being comes to physical harm whilst a robot is present and may have had a malfunction. Participants decide what actions they would take in the scenario and are encouraged to provide their observations and speculations on what happened. Data collection takes place online, a format that provides convenience as well as a safe space for participants to role play a hazardous encounter with minimal risk of suffering discomfort or distress. We provide a detailed account of how our initial set of Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interviews were conducted and describe the ways in which it proved to be an efficient approach that generated useful findings, and upheld our project commitments to Responsible Research and Innovation. We argue that the Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview is a flexible and fruitful method that can be adapted to benefit research in human robot interaction and advance responsibility in robotics.
spellingShingle Webb, HM
Dumitru, M
Van Maris, A
Winfield, A
Winkle, K
Jirotka, M
Role-play as responsible robotics: The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview for investigating hazardous human-robot interactions
title Role-play as responsible robotics: The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview for investigating hazardous human-robot interactions
title_full Role-play as responsible robotics: The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview for investigating hazardous human-robot interactions
title_fullStr Role-play as responsible robotics: The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview for investigating hazardous human-robot interactions
title_full_unstemmed Role-play as responsible robotics: The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview for investigating hazardous human-robot interactions
title_short Role-play as responsible robotics: The Virtual Witness Testimony role-play interview for investigating hazardous human-robot interactions
title_sort role play as responsible robotics the virtual witness testimony role play interview for investigating hazardous human robot interactions
work_keys_str_mv AT webbhm roleplayasresponsibleroboticsthevirtualwitnesstestimonyroleplayinterviewforinvestigatinghazardoushumanrobotinteractions
AT dumitrum roleplayasresponsibleroboticsthevirtualwitnesstestimonyroleplayinterviewforinvestigatinghazardoushumanrobotinteractions
AT vanmarisa roleplayasresponsibleroboticsthevirtualwitnesstestimonyroleplayinterviewforinvestigatinghazardoushumanrobotinteractions
AT winfielda roleplayasresponsibleroboticsthevirtualwitnesstestimonyroleplayinterviewforinvestigatinghazardoushumanrobotinteractions
AT winklek roleplayasresponsibleroboticsthevirtualwitnesstestimonyroleplayinterviewforinvestigatinghazardoushumanrobotinteractions
AT jirotkam roleplayasresponsibleroboticsthevirtualwitnesstestimonyroleplayinterviewforinvestigatinghazardoushumanrobotinteractions