Through involvement in projects such as Horizon’s ‘Hybrid Relics‘ and the Trustworthy Autonomous Systems ‘Cat Royale‘ my developing approaches and theoretical learnings have evolved, forming the basis for research to take forward into other programmes, such as the Turing AI Fellowship – Somabotics: Creatively Embodying AI.

Research into the nature of AI and embodiment, particularly as they relate to robotics, soma (human physicality), and physical objects, is crucial in a world increasingly shaped by technology.

An area I am interested in is ‘pain’. There is an intersection between pain and belief which is not fully understood. Pain is an area that intersects with many research areas, spanning neuroscience, philosophy, medicine, robotics and technology. We’re currently planning a Somabotics workshop, and on a recent visit to Denmark I was able to discuss some exciting ideas with Mads Bødker around possible shared (UK/Danish) research engagement events – building on our existing international partnerships. As part of this we’ve been discussing the concept of the ‘imperceptible’ and embodiment, and how there are things in our lives that have an impact upon us physically, yet aren’t perceptible, at least immediately. We were exploring the notion of ‘Soma in the City’, thinking about the opportunities that a city such as Copenhagen offer, and the ways that the imperceptible impacts upon the body, and how this could be an approach to design. While in Denmark, I also got the chance to attend an AI & Music event held at Maribo, organised by Sine Zambach and Mads (and team). This was a great event and an area that aligns with my previous and ongoing research, which led us starting to develop all kinds of plans and discussions around responsible archiving, AI and responsible music performance/composition.

I’m now a Visiting Professor at Aberystwyth University and in the past, Aberystwyth and Nottingham have had some really interesting research discussions, particularly in the area of AI and the Digital Humanities. One of the topics that emerged was aging and the ways that people are perceived and the different requirements that we have as we age. In relation to Somabotics this perhaps makes us realise that there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach to design when we think about bodies (or perceptions of the body, mind and so on). Physical things, us (me and you) change and are not constant. Many things have an impact upon us, and we on others, and we need to recognise that these experiences can shape us and can be highly individual – something we need to reflect upon when we look at responsible research and innovation.

Written by Alan Chamberlain