Articulating Human-World Relations from Co-Designing a Collaborative Robotic System

Research Background and Problem Statement

• Identified Issues or Challenges

  • The current definition of collaborative robots is primarily based on the concept of "human-robot" separation, with the environment viewed as a space for physical interaction.
  • Unlike traditional industrial robots, collaborative robots require more comprehensive design solutions and theoretical support due to their close physical interaction with humans.
  • In designing collaborative robots, the focus is often on functionality and safety, neglecting how robots redefine the relationship between humans and the world.
  • Few studies explore how collaborative robots dynamically participate in the design process and shape human-machine-world relationships during this process.

• Significance

  • Collaborative robots are expanding from industrial environments to complex scenarios such as healthcare and manufacturing, requiring more sophisticated coordination of multidimensional relationships among human workers, design teams, and robots.
  • A clear understanding of the role of robots in workflows, quality control, and safety across various scenarios can facilitate better integration of human-computer interaction technologies.
  • Philosophical approaches, such as phenomenology and post-phenomenology, may help understand how robotic systems mediate between humans and the world.

• Research Motivation and Related Work

  • Motivation: To explore how collaborative robots redefine human experiences and behaviors in work scenarios and how to better express this dynamic relationship in design solutions.
  • Related Work: Previous research has primarily focused on social roles or instrumental aspects in human-robot interaction, with limited exploration of the dynamic relationships of collaborative robots from design to implementation through a post-phenomenological lens.

Solution

• Proposed Methods or Solutions

  • Explore human-machine-world relationships in the design process of collaborative robots from a post-phenomenological perspective.
  • Conduct an 8-month research project guiding the design of a collaborative robot system for a healthcare manufacturing facility. The project includes two phases: understanding workflows and developing conceptual prototypes of robots.
  • Apply post-phenomenological analysis to the design process to identify how robots mediate human-machine relationships in different ways.

• Innovative Aspects of the Solution

  • Redefine collaborative robot design theory using post-phenomenology, surpassing traditional functionality- and utility-oriented design approaches.
  • Propose that robots do not merely mediate a single relationship but exhibit multiple mediating roles during the design process and usage.
  • Utilize interactive prototypes to enable technical participants to experience design potential and explore work tasks, quality control, and robot collaboration methods on multiple levels.

• Implementation Steps and Key Technologies

  • Phase 1: Understand the work environment through on-site observations and interviews to identify potential application scenarios for collaborative robots in healthcare manufacturing.
  • Phase 2: Conduct three rounds of collaborative design workshops involving technicians, design researchers, engineers, and managers. Develop conceptual prototypes and iterate multiple times.
  • Key technologies include the use of 3D-printed fixtures, exploration of robot vision evaluation tools, and experimental low-tech robotic platforms (e.g., Ufactory xArm 6).
  • Employ post-phenomenological analytical tools (e.g., various types of human-machine-world relationships: embodiment, background, hermeneutic, etc.) to interpret participants' reflections and imaginations about robot roles.

Research Outcomes

• Specific Outcomes

  • Identified the multidimensional mediating roles of collaborative robots in transparency, safety, and workflow intervention, including: background roles (assisting task execution), roles that redefine tasks, and roles that redistribute task responsibilities.
  • Discovered four types of post-phenomenological relationships during the design process: Embodiment, Background, Hermeneutic, and Alterity, and designed practical pathways for each.

• Comparison with Existing Solutions and Advantages

  • This study reveals that collaborative robot design can encompass dynamic and diverse mediating roles, rather than merely serving as technical tools or being separated from human behavior.
  • Compared to existing "function-oriented" designs, the post-phenomenological language fosters resonance with participants' values and provides a reflective framework for resolving design conflicts.
  • The use of 3D-printed prototypes and low-cost platforms (e.g., fixtures and simple robot models) effectively enhances technicians' understanding of the possibilities and limitations of robots.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results

  • Co-creation workshops explicitly expressed potential conflicts, such as robots challenging task roles (improving efficiency but diminishing the enjoyment of human craftsmanship), ambiguity in needs (safety vs. flexibility), and speculations about future relationships (cooperation and role redistribution between humans and machines).
  • Data analysis revealed that post-phenomenology can further expand design research perspectives, making discussions on technical design more aligned with the value network of the work environment.

• Limitations and Future Directions

  • Limitations:
    1. This study did not fully deploy collaborative robots in actual work environments, and participants' insights may change with real-world experiences.
    2. Discussions occasionally overly focused on technical challenges, potentially affecting the psychological needs and value reflections of technology adopters.
    3. The study was limited to a single robotic platform and scenario (healthcare manufacturing), and its adaptability to other fields needs to be verified.
  • Future Directions:
    • Explore how post-phenomenological analysis can be more closely embedded in interdisciplinary design processes.
    • Connect reflective analysis with real-time design iterations to help identify and resolve conflicts during the design process.
    • Investigate how robots influence social relationships and work role distribution in team collaboration, deepening human self-awareness.

This paper contributes a new perspective to collaborative robot design research, expanding the understanding of technological mediating roles through post-phenomenological analysis. It also provides valuable insights into design tools and processes, achieving a balance between practical application and theoretical analysis, particularly suitable for the field of human-machine collaboration in complex work environments.