Towards a Sociological Understanding of Robots as Companions

E. van Oost, D. Reed

Research output: Contribution to conferenceOther

Abstract

Whereas until recently most ICT's primarily mediated or facilitated emotional bonding and companionship between humans, now social roboticists are working on technology where the bonding between human - artefact is the core issue. This development not only opens up a huge potential of new applications, but also raises quite some societal and ethical concerns. In this paper we will argue that current conceptions of human-robot companionship are primarily rooted in psychological traditions and provide only a limited understanding of the companion relationship. Elaborating on a sociological perspective on appropriation of new technology, we will argue for a richer understanding of companionship that takes the situatedness (in location, network and time) of the use context into account.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages11
Publication statusPublished - 2011
Event3rd International Conference on Human-Robot Personal Relationships - Leiden, Netherlands
Duration: 23 Jun 201024 Jun 2010

Conference

Conference3rd International Conference on Human-Robot Personal Relationships
Country/TerritoryNetherlands
CityLeiden
Period23/06/1024/06/10

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