Robots in Society, Society in Robots - Mutual Shaping of Society and Technology as a Framework for Social Robot Design

This paper analyzes scientists’ discourses on the social impacts and acceptability of robotics, based on data collected through participant observation and interviews with robotics researchers in the US and Japan. It shows that a linear, technologically determinist, view of the interaction between robots and society is dominant in the field; in this narrative the social “impact” of robotic technologies derives mostly from their technological capabilities and the aim is for society to “accept” and adapt to technological innovations. The framework of mutual shaping and co-production, which explores the dynamic interaction between robotics and society, is proposed as an alternative perspective on the dynamics between society and technology and a framework for envisioning and evaluating social robots. This approach focuses on analyzing how social and cultural factors influence the way technologies are designed, used, and evaluated as well as how technologies affect our construction of social values and meanings. Finally, the paper describes a range of methodologies of contextually grounded and participatory design that fit the mutual shaping framework and support a socially robust understanding of technological development that enables the participation of multiple stakeholders and disciplines.