Becoming Cyborg: Interdisciplinary approaches for exoskeleton research

This paper describes novel interdisciplinary approaches for the design and training of cyborg technologies, specifically upper body exoskeletons. EXACT: Exoskeletons, Art and Choreographic Training is a multi-faceted research effort that uses dance performance and experimental trials to study the effects of movement and live performance on exoskeleton training. The goal is to combine research methods from the arts with human robot interaction (HRI) research. The rationale for using ethnographic methods (which privilege qualitative analysis through video data and multimodal interaction analysis) within an HRI framework is to develop nuanced approaches for studying embodiment and techno-corporeality in socially-situated contexts. This investigation has led to the development of new evaluation tools and frameworks for studying human-machine interaction, including human-centred assessments and custom virtual reality tools that allow for fine-grained analysis. An interdisciplinary approach is essential for studying the corporeal experience in human-machine interactions.