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The Body, AI and Social Robotics: From the Socio-Technical to Somabotics, an evolving field of research

Special Session at ICSR 2026 - 18th International Conference on Social Robotics

1-4 July 2026, London, UK

​Organisers
Alan Chamberlain, Mixed Reality Lab, School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, UK. 
Elizabeth Churchill, Department of Human Computer Interaction at MBZUAI - the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, UAE.
Steve Benford, Mixed Reality Lab, School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, UK.

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Description
Human and non-human (including robot) bodies are represented in numerous ways in the arts, media, literature, medicine and science. In looking at these representations we would argue that this has an impact upon the ways that we start to think about designing, creating and engaging with social robots. This special session pushes beyond the technical framing of robotics and asks researchers, artists and designers to think critically about the social nature of the body/bodies and the way that our practices, feelings, senses, beliefs and values impact upon the area of Social Robotics. In this special session we would like to hear from artists and researchers that have used the body and notions of embodiment as a focal point in their work. This session will highlight the evolving nature of Social Robotics in relation to developing interdisciplinary areas of research which bring together discourses around the body, AI and social robotics, such as Somabotics, and Arts & Humanities inspired social robotics. 
 

Our general themes centre around 3 core concerns which relate to social robotics: 
 

  • Designing for Non-human Actors & Ecosystems.
     

  • Societal Impact & Collective Intelligence.
     

  • Extended cognition & Human-AI-Robotic Augmentation.
     

We list some topics of interest below as a general guide and expand upon these core themes, but we would like to hear from anyone with an interest in the area.

For submission details please see: 

List of Topics

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  • More than Human Design – in terms of the environment, other species, transhuman debates and their relation to Social Robotics.

  • Physical Scale and Social Robotics – Landscape, large scale, small scale, nano.

  • Representations of the Body and Robotics in Art, the Humanities, by AI and issues of authenticity.

  • Socially scaling up Social Robotics and delivering physical services to a population.

  • Identity and positionality in Social Robotics.

  • Representations of the body in art, religion, medicine and the sciences in Social Robotics.

  • Beyond assistive robotics – Ageing, the body and Social Robotics.

  • Evolving Frameworks & Methods –  Mixed methods, subjectivity, making meaning, interdisciplinary art/science approaches and design research practices.

  • Social Robotics and the Body in everyday practice, ritual and ceremony.

  • Arts & Humanities approaches to Human Robot Interaction (HRI) design and research.

  • Experiential responses to design, and Social robotic systems.

  • Architecture and its impact on the body in Social Robotic systems.

  • The augmentation of the body in Social Robotics.

  • Multimodal Social Robotics – the social nature of senses in Social Robotics

  • Designing for non-human actors & ecosystems - Moving beyond individual human users to consider the well-being and agency of other living beings (animals, plants), natural environments,  Robots and AI entities within our design processes. Addressing how we define "user" in an "eco-centered" or "bio-centric" design approach? What ethical frameworks are needed? How can HCI/HRI methodologies like user research or usability testing be adapted for non-human stakeholders? What are examples of products/services that successfully integrate these perspectives (e.g., Social Robots in smart agriculture, wildlife monitoring, sustainable urban planning tools)?
     

  • Extended cognition & Human-AI-Robotic augmentation  -  Exploring how technology, particularly AI, can extend and reshape human cognitive capabilities, memory, and even identity, blurring the lines between individual thought and distributed intelligence. What does this look like in the context of social robotics? This includes both the benefits and potential pitfalls. Where does "our", "my" intelligence (sometimes embodied AI) end and the AI's begin ? How do AI assistants or tools change our thinking processes (e.g., memory, problem-solving, learning)? What are the design implications for preserving human agency and critical thinking when offloading cognitive tasks to AI? How does this impact education, professional skills, and personal development? What does this look like in an embodied social context?
     

  • Societal impact & collective intelligence  -  Shifting from optimizing individual user experiences to understanding and designing for the broader societal, communal, and ethical implications of technology, fostering collective intelligence and addressing systemic challenges: How can HRI/HCI move beyond individualistic metrics (e.g., task completion, satisfaction) to evaluate collective outcomes and societal well-being? What design strategies promote civic engagement, ethical decision-making, and consensus-building in digital spaces? How do we design for diverse communities and ensure equitable access and representation, rather than just individual personalization? What role does HRI/HCI play in addressing "wicked problems" like climate change or social polarization at a systemic level?

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With thanks to our funders .....

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