Touch, agency and the interplay between dance, disability and robotics
Article / Journal
Author(s) / editor(s):
Kate Marsh
,
Paul Tennent
,
Rachael Garrett
,
Sarah Whatley
,
Steve Benford
,
and Simon Castle-Green
Year: 2026
Language(s): English
Abstract:
The article explores how themes of touch, contact and consent are reconfigured when disabled dance artists interact physically with robots. Disabled dancers possess specific embodied expertise, including in how their bodies interface with assistive technologies; introducing robots as non-human partners raises new questions about safety, agency and trust. Reporting on an interdisciplinary project, the article examines how bodily contact with robots can become creative and expressive rather than harmful, and asks whether AI can support more inclusive research practices or instead sharpen existing inequalities when lived experience and diversity are ignored.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14794713.2026.2635231
Post created by: Virginia Signorini