Designing Multispecies Worlds for Robots, Cats, and Humans

Abstract

We reflect on the design of a multispecies world centred around a bespoke enclosure in which three cats and a robot arm coexist for six hours a day during a twelve-day installation as part of an artist-led project. In this paper, we present the project's design process, encompassing various interconnected components, including the cats, the robot and its autonomous systems, the custom end-effectors and robot attachments, the diverse roles of the humans-in-the-loop, and the custom-designed enclosure. Subsequently, we provide a detailed account of key moments during the deployment and discuss the design implications for future multispecies systems. Specifically, we argue that designing the technology and its interactions is not sufficient, but that it is equally important to consider the design of the 'world' in which the technology operates. Finally, we highlight the necessity of human involvement in areas such as breakdown recovery, animal welfare, and their role as audience. CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → Human computer interaction (HCI); • General and reference → Design; • Computer systems organization → Robotic autonomy; • Applied computing → Media arts.

Charting Ethical Tensions in Multispecies Technology Research through Beneficiary-Epistemology Space

“…We now briefly summarise the design and experience of Cat Royale as background to help better understand its journey through the ethical approval process. Further overviews of Cat Royale can be found in [55][56][57] while [54] provides a detailed account of the design of the robot and the enclosure, concluding that it is important to carefully design the world in which a robot operates.…”