Encoding Proximity: Intuition in Human–Robot Collaborations

Abstract

The growing field of human–robot collaborations has raised questions of how to behave when inter- acting with speaking and moving technological objects. One key idea here represents the notion of intuition as the promise of natural and effortless interaction with non-living objects. But intuition also refers to a non-rational, affective mode of reasoning. This article argues that in human–robot collaborations, intuition is not exhaustive in the promise of fluid interactions. In showing how social expectations are encoded in collaborative practices, the text argues that intuition becomes a modus operandi for the programming and modeling of affects.