This paper follows a trans-disciplinary and trans-cultural arts research endeavour which seeks to utilise the restitution of neglected archival materials to engage the social and cultural trajectory of the villages and nation from which that material and intangible heritage was taken, stolen, destroyed, lost, or diminished. The paper engages with tensions in colonial and decolonial design of digital heritage between the potential for counter-histories and imaginaries on the one-hand and the colonial impulse of computing and its logics on the other. Through the research through design activities formed with a decolonial praxiology, we explore how the systems, practices and technologies of archival practices in this project develop an ethics of knowledge-making that neither satisfies or diminishes decolonial intent. We tentatively argue for approaches to decolonial design that are accounted for in local and pragmatic modes of knowledge making that are delinked from globalised and abstracted systems that otherwise repress them.

This paper investigates the sound design of robots in films and their potential influence on the field of social robotics. Cinematic robot portrayals have inspired researchers and practitioners in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). While the non-verbal sounds of iconic film robots like R2-D2 and Wall-E have been explored, this study takes a more comprehensive approach. We explore a broader selection of 15 films featuring humanoid robots across decades through a semiotic analysis of their nonverbal communication sounds, including those related to movements and internal mechanisms . Informed by Bateman and Schmidt’s multimodal film analysis framework, which draws on Saussure’s organization of signs through paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations, our analysis interprets the paradigmatic axis as an examination of the sound and the syntagmatic axis as an exploration of the events surrounding the sound. The findings uncover two primary film robot sound materials: mechanical and synthetic. Furthermore, the analysis revealed several narrative themes, categorized into two groups based on the syntagmatic focus: sounds associated with the robots’ visual appearances and sounds linked to the broader elements within the scene. The discussion section explores the implications of these findings for social robotics, including the importance of sound materials, the role of movement sounds in communication and emotional expression, and the significance of narrative and context in human-robot interaction. The paper also acknowledges the challenges in translating film sound design into practical applications in social robotics. This study provides valuable insights for HRI researchers, practitioners, and sound designers seeking to enhance non-verbal auditory expressions in social robots.

Data visualizations have become the primary mechanism for engaging with quantitative information. However, many of these visualizations are inaccessible to blind and low vision people. This paper investigates the challenge of designing accessible data visualizations through the lens of crip technoscience. We present four speculative design case studies that conceptually explore four qualities of access built on crip wisdom: access as an ongoing process, a frictional practice, an aesthetic experience, and transformation. Each speculative study embodies inquiry and futuring, making visible common assumptions about access and exploring how an alternative crip-informed framework can shape designs that foreground the creativity of disabled people. We end by presenting tactics for designing digital access that de-centers the innovation discourse.

This study explores if, and how, the choices made regarding a robot's speaking voice and characteristic body sounds influence viewers' perceptions of its intent i.e., whether the robot's intention is positive or negative. The analysis focuses on robot representations and sounds in three films: "Robots"(2005) [1], "NextGen"(2018) [2], and "Love, Death, and Robots - Three Robots"(2019) [3]. In eight qualitative interviews, five parameters (tonality, intonation, volume, pitch, and speed) were used to understand robot sounds and the participant's perception of a robot's attitude and intentions. The study culminates in a set of recommendations and considerations for human-robot interaction designers to consider while sound coding for body, physiology, and movement.

This paper investigates the sound design of robots in films and their potential influence on the field of social robotics. Cinematic robot portrayals have inspired researchers and practitioners in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). While the non-verbal sounds of iconic film robots like R2-D2 and Wall-E have been explored, this study takes a more comprehensive approach. We explore a broader selection of 15 films featuring humanoid robots across decades through a semiotic analysis of their non-verbal communication sounds, including those related to movements and internal mechanisms. Our analysis, guided by Bateman and Schmidt’s multimodal film analysis framework following Saussure’s organization of signs through paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations, interprets the paradigmatic axis as the examination of the sound and the syntagmatic axis as the examination of the events surrounding the sound. The findings uncover two primary film robot sound materials: mechanical and synthetic. Additionally, contextual analysis reveals three narrative themes and several sub-themes related to the physical attributes of robots, their internal workings, and their interactions with other characters. The discussion section explores the implications of these findings for social robotics, including the importance of sound materials, the role of movement sounds in communication and emotional expression, and the significance of narrative and context in human-robot interaction. The paper also acknowledges the challenges in translating film sound design into practical applications in social robotics. This study provides valuable insights for HRI researchers, practitioners, and sound designers seeking to enhance non-verbal auditory expressions in social robots.