Next Up for AI? Dancing Robots | Catie Cuan | TED

Summary

The speaker, a pioneer in choreo-robotics, shares their unique journey from dancing with humans to choreographing movements for diverse robots. They emphasize the importance of intentional robot movement for positive human interaction and advocate for integrating AI to enhance robots' physical intelligence. The talk highlights Project Starling, an interactive AI-driven performance, illustrating the potential for robots to be integrated into everyday life with grace and emotional resonance, ultimately shaping a future where humans and robots coexist harmoniously.

Takeaways

• 💃 The speaker is a choreographer who teaches robots how to dance, highlighting the intersection of robotics and dance in choreo-robotics.
• 🤖 They emphasize the importance of robot movement in influencing human emotions and perceptions, such as politeness or fear.
• 🚶 Robots are increasingly present in everyday environments, and their movements need careful examination to avoid being threatening or confusing.
• 🔧 As a roboticist and engineer, the speaker studies the connection between robot motion and emotion, aiming to make robots more emotionally intelligent.
• 🧠 AI technologies are enhancing robots' physical intelligence, making them smarter and more capable in the physical world.
• 🕺 Teaching robots to dance with intention, agility, and emotional expression can improve their roles as caregivers, teachers, and companions.
• 🤖 The speaker's work at Everyday Robots involved using AI to teach multiple robots to move together as a flock, demonstrating AI's capability for improvisation.
• 🎵 Project Starling is an interactive performance where robots generate music through their movements, creating a unique symphony.
• 👀 The project aimed to create an immersive experience that felt like a natural and safe world with robots, encouraging public engagement.
• 👨‍🔧 Robotics engineers are starting to consider emotion and context in the design of intelligent machines for better human-robot interaction.
• 🌐 The choices made now in robot design will dictate how humans live with robots, potentially making them more welcomed, safe, and delightful.
• 🛠 With AI, robots can learn from specific examples and generalize to new situations, as demonstrated in teaching them to dance and navigate spaces.

Q & A

What is the speaker's profession and how did it evolve?

The speaker is a choreographer who teaches robots how to dance. Their profession evolved from dancing on stages with humans to choreographing and dancing with various types of robots, including large, small, single-armed, and roving robots, as well as those that fly and resemble humans.

Why does the speaker believe that the way robots move is important?

The speaker believes that the way robots move is important because it can affect human emotions. For example, a polite robot movement can make people feel acknowledged, while a sudden or aggressive movement might cause fear or revulsion.

What is the emerging field that combines the speaker's expertise in robotics and dance?

The emerging field that combines the speaker's expertise in robotics and dance is called 'choreo-robotics,' which is the intersection of dance and robotics.

How does the speaker describe the current state of AI in relation to robots?

The speaker describes the current state of AI as giving robots a physical intelligence with technologies like GPT and Gemini becoming the robot's brains, making them much smarter and capable of learning from specific examples to perform tasks in various environments.

What is the speaker's view on the future of intelligent robots in our everyday lives?

The speaker envisions a future where intelligent robots are more integrated into our everyday lives, interacting with us through movement. They believe that if robots can dance and move with intention, agility, and grace, they will become better caregivers, teachers, and companions.

What is the significance of teaching robots to dance according to the speaker?

Teaching robots to dance is significant because it helps them move with intention, agility, balance, emotional expression, and grace. This, in turn, can make them better at various roles in society and more welcomed by humans.

What is 'Project Starling' and how was it achieved?

Project Starling is an interactive performance and installation work that involved training an AI agent on the preferences of a choreographer to generate movement for 15 robots to move together as a flock. It took two years of engineering to complete and included teaching the robots to recognize and respond to human gestures and to act as musical instruments.

How did the speaker's work at Everyday Robots differ from traditional robot choreography?

The speaker's work at Everyday Robots differed from traditional robot choreography by using AI to teach multiple robots to move together as a flock, rather than scripting each individual movement. This approach allowed for improvisation and reaction to the environment, which was not possible with traditional choreography.

What role does AI play in the speaker's choreography for robots?

AI plays a crucial role in the speaker's choreography for robots by enabling them to learn from specific examples and adapt their movements to different environments and circumstances. This allows for more natural and contextually appropriate interactions between robots and humans.

What is the speaker's vision for the role of robots in addressing demographic challenges?

The speaker's vision is for general-purpose robots to help address demographic challenges such as aging populations and labor shortages. The way these robots move will determine how readily humans accept and welcome them into their homes and workplaces.

How can the lessons from choreographing robots be applied to their everyday interactions with humans?

The lessons from choreographing robots can be applied to their everyday interactions with humans by considering emotion and context in their design. This includes teaching robots to recognize and respond to human gestures and to move in ways that are natural and safe, making them more approachable and welcomed.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Choreographing Robots for Emotional Connection

The speaker, a choreographer and roboticist, shares their unique experience of teaching robots to dance, emphasizing the importance of movement in shaping our emotional responses to robots. They discuss the impact of robot motion on human emotions and the emerging field of choreo-robotics, which combines robotics and dance. The speaker also highlights the role of AI in enhancing robots' physical intelligence and the potential of teaching robots to dance for improving their roles as caregivers, teachers, and companions.

05:04

🎭 Project Starling: AI-Powered Robotic Performance

This section delves into the speaker's work on Project Starling, an interactive performance and installation that showcases AI's ability to teach robots to improvise and react in complex environments. The project involved training an AI agent on choreographic preferences, enabling robots to recognize and respond to human gestures, and turning them into musical instruments, creating a unique symphony of movement and sound. The speaker envisions a future where robots are integrated into everyday life, enhancing human experience through their movement and interaction.

10:09

👏 The Future of Human-Robot Interaction

In the concluding part, the speaker applauds the audience and reflects on the potential of general-purpose robots to address demographic challenges and labor shortages. They emphasize the importance of robot movement in determining how humans perceive and accept them into their homes and workplaces. The speaker calls for a future where robots are not just functional but also capable of creative and emotional engagement, maintaining the marvel of human experience in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Keywords

💡Choreography

Choreography is the art of designing and arranging movements for performance, typically in dance. In the context of the video, choreography extends beyond dance to include the deliberate and expressive movement of robots. The speaker's unique job involves choreographing robots, emphasizing the importance of intentional movement to elicit specific emotional responses from humans, as seen in the script's mention of robots moving politely or causing fear.

💡Choreo-robotics

Choreo-robotics is an emerging interdisciplinary field that combines the study of dance with robotics. It is the intersection where the speaker's expertise in both areas converges. The concept is central to the video's theme, illustrating how the integration of artistic choreography with robotic movement can lead to more emotionally intelligent and human-like robots, as the speaker discusses combining their knowledge in this field to study the connection between robot motion and emotion.

💡Robotics

Robotics is the branch of technology, engineering, and science that deals with the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The video emphasizes robotics in the context of creating robots that can move with intention and grace, which is crucial for improving human-robot interaction. The speaker's background as a roboticist and engineer is highlighted, showing their role in developing the field of choreo-robotics.

💡Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and act like humans. In the video, AI is portrayed as the 'brains' behind the robots, enabling them to learn and adapt, which is essential for teaching robots to dance and interact in various environments. The speaker mentions AI technologies like GPT and Gemini, indicating the role of AI in advancing the capabilities of robots.

💡Emotion

Emotion, in the context of the video, refers to the feelings and affective responses that robot movements can evoke in humans. The speaker studies the connection between robot motion and emotion, suggesting that how robots move can significantly impact how humans perceive and interact with them. The video discusses the importance of designing robot movements that are emotionally intelligent to foster positive human-robot relationships.

💡Human-Robot Interaction

Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is the study of how humans interact with robots and how such interactions influence each party. The video's theme revolves around improving HRI through the intentional movement of robots, teaching them to dance, and making their movements emotionally expressive. The speaker's work in choreo-robotics aims to enhance HRI by making robots more relatable and less threatening to humans.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency in robotics typically refers to the optimization of a robot's performance in terms of speed or success rate. The speaker points out that while roboticists often focus on efficiency, it is not sufficient for creating robots that are well-received by humans. The video suggests that teaching robots to dance and move with intention, agility, and grace is as important as, if not more so than, mere efficiency.

💡General-Purpose Robots

General-Purpose Robots are designed to perform a wide range of tasks, as opposed to specialized robots that are limited to specific functions. The video discusses the future of general-purpose robots that can integrate into everyday human environments, such as homes and workplaces, and the importance of their movements in determining how welcome they are in these spaces.

💡Gesture Recognition

Gesture Recognition is the ability of a system to interpret human gestures and respond accordingly. In the video, the speaker describes a future scenario where robots can recognize and respond to human gestures, such as nodding or making a sipping gesture, to understand and fulfill human requests. This ability is part of making robots more interactive and emotionally intelligent.

💡Project Starling

Project Starling is an interactive performance and installation work mentioned in the video, which showcases the capabilities of AI and robotics. The project involved training an AI agent on the preferences of a choreographer and teaching robots to recognize and respond to human gestures, as well as turning them into musical instruments. It serves as an example of how AI can be used to create robots that can improvise and react in complex environments.

💡Improvisation

Improvisation in the context of the video refers to the ability of robots to create and adapt their movements in real-time without being explicitly programmed for each specific situation. The speaker discusses the challenge of using AI to teach robots to improvise, which is essential for robots to navigate and interact seamlessly in unpredictable environments like busy city streets.

Highlights

The speaker has an unusual job of teaching robots how to dance, transitioning from dancing with humans to dancing with various types of robots.

Robots' movements can elicit different emotional responses from humans, such as feeling seen or revulsion.

The speaker is a roboticist and engineer, studying the connection between robot motion and emotion.

Choreo-robotics is the emerging field combining dance and robotics, aiming to give AI a robot body with physical intelligence.

AI technologies like GPT and Gemini are making robots smarter, with implications for the physical world.

Teaching robots to dance can lead to better caregivers, teachers, and companions.

Choreographers and engineers have been making dances with robots since the 1990s, impacting public imagination.

Dancing with robots is now about applying lessons on movement and emotions to everyday life robots.

Roboticists are considering emotion and context in intelligent machine design for better human interaction.

AI allows for teaching robots to perform tasks like opening doors or dancing with minimal scripting.

At Everyday Robots, the speaker used AI to teach 15 robots to move together as a flock, showcasing AI's capabilities.

Project Starling is an interactive performance and installation work that combines AI-generated movement and robot-generated music.

The speaker envisions a future where robots are integrated into daily life, providing services with grace and understanding.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of how robots move to determine their acceptance in human society.

General-purpose robots are anticipated to help address demographic challenges and labor shortages.

The speaker concludes by highlighting the power of choreographing the future we want with robots.

Transcripts

I have an unusual job.

I teach robots how to dance.

In 2017,

I transitioned from dancing on stages with humans

to dancing with robots.

Big robots, small robots,

single-arms and roving robots.

Robots that fly,

vacuuming robots.

A lot of robots that look like humans.

And a whole bunch that don't.

I'm pretty sure I've choreographed

and danced with more different types of robots

than anyone on Earth.

Why do I do this?

Because robots move

and choreographers understand how movement affects us.

If a robot slides politely out of a doorway to let you pass,

might make you feel seen and acknowledged.

If a robot marches quickly towards you and avoids you at the last second,

it might cause revulsion and fear.

Robots are beginning to show up in our everyday environments,

from sidewalks to offices, backyards to hospitals.

And they will be threatening and confusing to us

if we do not carefully examine how they move.

I'm also a roboticist and an engineer.

I study this connection between robot motion and emotion.

I combine my expertise in robotics and dance

in the emerging field of choreo-robotics,

the intersection of dance and robotics.

Right now, we're giving AI a robot body with physical intelligence.

AI technologies like GPT and Gemini are becoming the robot's brains,

which means that robots are getting smarter.

Much smarter.

Think of what AI has already done to text and video generation.

We are just scratching the surface on seeing what AI can do

in the physical world.

We are going to be interacting

with these new intelligent robots more and more,

interacting with them through movement.

Roboticists already spend a lot of time thinking about movement,

but they think about it in terms of efficiency,

optimizing for speed or success.

That's not enough.

We need to teach robots how to dance.

If a robot can dance,

make every movement with intention, agility, balance,

emotional expression and grace,

I believe they will also become better caregivers,

teachers and companions.

It will help us build better general-purpose robots

that we actually want to live amongst us.

If we teach robots to dance,

we expand the future of intelligent machines.

Choreographers and engineers have made dances with robots since the 1990s,

and these highly scripted performances have captured the public's imagination.

They've made us feel wonder,

made us laugh,

made us want to dance along,

and sometimes made us never want to meet a robot in real life.

Dancing with robots is no longer just about art or entertainment.

It is about transferring the lessons that one, all movement

changes emotions,

and two, contextual movement is critically important

and applying those lessons to robots in our everyday lives.

Robotics engineers are beginning to consider emotion and context

when designing intelligent machines that interact with us.

The choices we make now

are going to dictate how we live our lives with robots.

If we get this right,

robots will be more welcomed, safe, and delightful.

Humans will be more empowered and comfortable.

Before AI, programmers needed hours to script a simple

dance sequence for robot to perform.

Just like they needed hours to script the robot to open a single door.

With AI, you can teach the robot to open just a few specific doors,

and it will learn to open all of them,

even ones it hasn't seen before.

It's also true for dance.

You can teach the robot to dance with a specific person,

and it will learn how to dance

and move with many others

in many different environments and circumstances.

This is what I did at Everyday Robots,

then a robot AI moonshot at Google.

But rather than teach one robot,

I used AI to teach 15 robots how to move together as a flock.

We imagined a world where you could walk down a hallway filled with robots,

and they would part to make space for you,

like a flock of doves or a crowd of people on a city street.

Where a robot could navigate seamlessly and even beautifully through a busy,

chaotic Times Square.

The world we live in is complicated for robots to understand,

so it was impossible to script or choreograph interactions like these

step by step.

We needed to use the magic of AI

to teach the robots how to improvise and react.

This was a massive challenge that had never been done before,

and the result is an interactive performance and installation work

called Project Starling.

This took us two years of hardcore engineering to complete.

We trained an AI agent on the preferences of a choreographer,

me.

I chose the most engaging patterns and sequences.

We also taught the robots how to recognize

and respond to human gestures.

While we were at it,

we turned the robots into musical instruments.

Each joint on the robot was mapped to a different sound.

When the robot's torso moved, triggered a bass sound.

Its hand opening and closing triggered a bell sound.

The robot's actions created its own unique symphony.

This is what Project Starling looks like.

Our AI generated movement and our robot generated music.

(Music)

(Music ends)

(Applause)

I wanted it to feel like stepping out of your normal reality

and into a waking dream,

one that was so far from where we stand today.

Yet, all the same felt like a world

where your kids could grow up and feel calm,

where you could be surrounded by machines and it felt natural and safe.

People were drawn to just wander amongst these robots, you know,

some were a bit tentative at first,

but then they began to engage and explore

with curiosity and playfulness.

People kept coming back.

What we learned about gesture, navigation,

human interaction and expression can be applied to robots more generally.

Think of the following future scenario.

A robot in a senior living facility,

waiting in a crowded cafe.

You sit at your table,

you wave over to it, make a sipping gesture,

and the robot understands that you would like a glass of water.

And when it drives over to you with its glass of water,

it nods at the other people it passes

and pauses graciously to let them go by.

And when it arrives at your table, it places the glass gracefully down.

And when you thank it, it nods in acknowledgment.

Maybe it even performs a small celebratory dance in place.

We can choose to build and program robots that we welcome.

Robots that make us feel understood.

Robots that we want to spend time with.

The promise of robots that will live and work amongst us

has existed for a very long time.

From Karel Capek's 1920 play "Rossum's Universal Robots"

to The Jetsons' Rosey the Robot

to C-3PO of "Star Wars" and even Terminator,

these stories have been deeply impactful in what we imagine and build.

Yes, we can have robots that do our chores.

But we can also have robots be our dance partners.

Humans do a range of things,

ceramics to diplomacy,

singing in choirs to vertical farming.

Imagine a world where robots can do a myriad of things

that are functional or creative,

and everything in between.

General-purpose robots are coming,

and they will help us to address big demographic challenges

like aging populations and massive labor shortages.

And how they move will unlock

whether we let them into our homes

and welcome them in our workplaces.

Because we want to feel like we're still marvelously human

in this increasingly AI world.

And we can,

because we have the power to choreograph the future we want.

Thank you.

(Applause)