Utilization of Human-Robot Interaction for the Enhancement of Performer and Audience Engagement in Performing Art

Recently, computer-supported interactive technologies have played a significant role as complementary tools in creation of extraordinary artworks. These technologies have been used in art to explore their utility to compose new creative concepts, and to enrich the dimensions of artistic performances to strengthen the engagement between the performer and the audience. Since integrating the audience into the artistic performance has a significant role in enhancing an individual pleasure, a robotic medium holds great potential in bringing about new opportunities for artistic performances. In this preliminary study, we observed the effects of eye gazing behaviours of a minimal robot on audience engagement and connectedness in regard to an artistic performance. With this paper, the results from the data of a limited number of participants show that the audience tended to be distracted by the robot’s existence, however, the gazing behavior of the robot maintain a feeling of connectivity between the robot and the audience.