Work

Attuning to robots: reframing empathy through movement improvisation in human-robot interaction

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: As an alternative to dominant models of empathy in human–robot interaction (HRI) that rely on behavioral mimicry and resemblance, this article proposes an embodied model of empathy grounded in attunement. We identify three interrelated dimensions of attunement – perceptual, affinity, and kinesthetic – to articulate a relational, movement-centered account of empathic engagement. Drawing on insights from the performing arts, particularly movement improvisation, we argue that such practices provide a fertile framework for understanding how empathy may arise through dynamic coupling rather than imitation. Through analyses of Eingeweide by Marco Donnarumma and Dances of/with a Robot Arm, a practice-based research project by one of the authors, we demonstrate how attunement in HRI can emerge through the mutual modulation of movement dynamics, without presuming morphological or behavioral similarity between human and robot.

Source: International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media

DOI: 10.1080/14794713.2026.2725327

Authors: Irene Alcubilla Troughton, Soyun Jang

Institution: Utrecht University

Language: English

Topic: Social Robot Interaction and HRI

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

Award: Dramaturgy for Devices. Designing Sustained Relationships with Robots and other Smart Technologies