The Wizard behind the Robot

Case Reports

Wizard of Oz studies with Children

Hoysniemi J & Read J

Link to article: citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.124.4282&rep=rep1&type=pdf

What? This article reports on case studies about Wizard of Oz robots and children. ‘Wizard of Oz’ refers to the human behind the curtain who animates robot’s interaction with children. The robot is not autonomous but operated to some greater or lesser degree by a human wizard, as close to real time as possible.

Why? Wizard of Oz studies are interested in modelling and examining characteristics of computer-human interactions and the capabilities and limitations of autonomy in robots. These studies allow researchers to efficiently try out ways of interacting that might become programmed behavior in a more autonomous robot. It allows collection of data.

What was found? What is the balance between robot autonomy and the wizard in responses to the participant, and the delay inherent in this. Delays that occur as the wizard prepares a response for the robot to make were recognized as a limitation. Of mention is the notion of deception: whether or not the wizard being hidden or seen was an issue for children. Children mis-attributed autonomy to the present wizard even when there were keyboarding sounds occurring at the same time as the wizard was responding. Is there a responsibility on researchers regarding consent when children don’t understand there is a human behind the robot?

My (robot) friend

Blog post

Making new robot friends: Understanding children’s relationships with social robots

Westlund JMK

Published in mit media lab: Personal Robots Group blog, June 13, 2017

Link to blog: media.mit.edu/posts/making-new-robot-friends/

"Hi, my name is Mox! This story begins in 2013, in a preschool in Boston, where I hide, with laptop, headphones, and microphone, in a little kitchenette. Ethernet cables trail across the hall to the classroom, where 17 children eagerly await their turn to talk to a small fluffy robot."

In this engaging blogpost, the author describes a robot used to explore the nature of relationships children build this social, teleoperated machine. In playtests with children, the author learns they form an understanding of robots that differ from the relationship with the robot’s human operator; from pets, from inanimate possessions and from people. Adult ontologies are not applied by children: person or machine, real or imaginary; no condition excludes the possibility of a friend. Characteristics like expressiveness and responsiveness are found to contribute to connection and learning. Robots can ask questions that encourage the child to greater engagement in a story and cue parents to ask similar questions.

Finally, the author expresses concerns about the ethics of providing engaged machines to children and issues a call to engagement in ‘roboethics’.

Research proposal: Transparency, Teleoperation, and Children’s Understanding of Social Robots, Westlund JMK & Breazeal C

Link to research proposal ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7451888/