Embodied conversations: performance and the design of a robotic dancing partner

We report the use of performance-based techniques, in particular embodiment, to prototype a robot that promotes dance improvisation with human partners. The work draws on interpretive research methods widely used in performance studies but still emergent within design. It posits the outcome as an ‘objectile’ – a continuous and potentially divergent iteration of prototypes is envisaged, rather than a singular product. We suggest that the quasi-complex system achieved in SpiderCrab offers a transferable model for design in pursuit of performative merging; and that enfolding tacit knowledge throughout the design process might benefit from the iterative and performative approaches outlined.