[论文解读] Shaping Expressiveness in Robotics: The Role of Design Tools in Crafting Embodied Robot Movements

Elisabetta Zibetti, Alexandra Mercader+4 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Feb 4, 2026

Social Robot Interaction and HRI被引用 0

一句话总结

论文提出以运动为中心的设计教学法和一个将 MOA 概念、定制遥控器和 Blender 结合的工具箱，帮助工程师设计具有表现力的机器人臂动作。它报告了一个工作坊的定性见解，探讨工具如何塑造表现性设计。

ABSTRACT

As robots increasingly become part of shared human spaces, their movements must transcend basic functionality by incorporating expressive qualities to enhance engagement and communication. This paper introduces a movement-centered design pedagogy designed to support engineers in creating expressive robotic arm movements. Through a hands-on interactive workshop informed by interdisciplinary methodologies, participants explored various creative possibilities, generating valuable insights into expressive motion design. The iterative approach proposed integrates analytical frameworks from dance, enabling designers to examine motion through dynamic and embodied dimensions. A custom manual remote controller facilitates interactive, real-time manipulation of the robotic arm, while dedicated animation software supports visualization, detailed motion sequencing, and precise parameter control. Qualitative analysis of this interactive design process reveals that the proposed "toolbox" effectively bridges the gap between human intent and robotic expressiveness resulting in more intuitive and engaging expressive robotic arm movements.

研究动机与目标

• Introduce a movement-centered design pedagogy to help engineers create expressive robotic arm movements.
• Develop and validate a toolbox combining MOA concepts, a customized remote controller, and Blender for expressive motion design.
• Investigate how different interaction modalities influence designers' understanding and articulation of movement expressiveness.
• Provide qualitative insights into how tools bridge human intent and robotic expressiveness in real-world design tasks.

提出的方法

• Grounded in Movement Observation-Analysis (MOA) and dance-inspired frameworks to guide expressive movement design.
• Developed a custom embodied-interaction toolbox including a PS4 remote controller for direct manipulation and Blender for graphical refinement.
• Implemented a workflow linking direct manipulation, Blender-based animation, and ROS-based execution with a PD controller.
• Conducted a three-and-a-half-hour hands-on workshop with 21 engineering participants divided into teams and two scenarios (Therapeutic vs. Emergency).
• Collected qualitative data via video recordings and semi-structured interviews; analyzed transcripts using grounded theory and thematic analysis.

实验结果

研究问题

• RQ1 How do tools with different interaction modalities (direct manipulation vs. graphical representations) help designers develop intuitive insights into movement qualities and their expressive potential?
• RQ2 To what extent does the MOA framework influence designers' planning and articulation of expressive robotic movements in a lab-based design task?
• RQ3 What are the practical constraints and affordances of the toolbox (remote controller, Blender, MOA) in producing expressive robotic arm trajectories?

主要发现

• The toolbox bridges designers’ expressive intentions and practical robot motion generation, yielding more intuitive and engaging expressive arm movements.
• Direct manipulation via the remote controller fosters embodied exploration and improvisation, while Blender enables precise timing, sequencing, and refinement.
• MOA dynamic factors variably influenced design processes; some teams found structure and expressiveness benefits, others struggled with understanding MOA concepts.
• Visualization in Blender offered a different planning perspective, making joint trajectories and timing more tangible than controller-only exploration.
• Teams used complementary strategies: direct exploration to ideate, then graphical refinement to polish expressiveness; tool affordances guided different design workflows.