1H 2M
Design Fiction & Anthropomorphism
1h 2m surveys deeply rooted anthropomorphisms and emotional connections between NASA engineers and space robotics. It highlights the Mars landings of Lander Pathfinder 1997 and Rover Spirit 2004 through the representation of sound waves and screen grabs of the landing’s televised broadcasts.
Areas of Focus
Robotics, Emotional Connection, Audio-visual, Anthropomorphism, Publication Design
Methods
Field Studies
Contextual Inquiry
1:1 Interview
Quantitive Research
Qualitative Research
Mixed Methods
Year
2015
Collaborators
Greg Davis
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab
R&D
This case study explores whether NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab engineers and scientists view spacecrafts as mere hardware or if they in fact are anthropomorphized through years of invested energy, effort, and emotional attachment from their conception as initial sketches to landing on Mars.
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The tendency to attribute human traits, emotions, or intentions to robots. This can help users relate to robots by making them seem more familiar or lifelike.
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Assigning personality traits or behavioral characteristics to machines or robots, often through programming or design, to make their interactions feel more relatable or engaging.
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A metaphor describing a rover’s journey from deployment ("birth"), through its operational period ("life"), to the end of its mission when it can no longer function ("death"). This lifecycle reflects the emotional investment humans place in robotic missions.
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The feelings of sadness or mourning that can occur when a robot, especially one with an anthropomorphized personality or significant scientific impact, ceases to function, reflecting the emotional connection formed with the machine.
FIELD STUDIES:
MARS
Located in La Cañada Flintridge, California, JPL’s “Mars Yard” is in essence a simulated Martian landscape primarily utilized by the research and flight project teams to field test various robotic prototypes – see what works and what doesn’t – and make iterative adjustments towards a Mars ready rover.
1:1 INTERVIEW
While conducting field research of Jet Propulsion Lab, I discovered that Chief Technologist, Greg Davis, PhD, had been an integral contributor in the Rover Spirit’s mechanical system.
I reached out to Greg in order to gain first hand insights from a technologist who had hands on experience with the robotics themselves. Through this interview I discovered the deeply rooted anthropomorphisms and emotional connections between NASA engineers and space robotics.
PROCESS & ITERATION
Beyond exploring immersive fieldwork and interviewing NASA experts, I additionally looked to both past and present secondary forms of research in an effort to widen my scope and understanding.
Particularly focusing on how each landing was being translated within society via broadcast television coverage from the late 1990s and early 2000s, while considering in tandem the cultural reflections and reactions of the space robotics via Twitter during the late 2000s.
Throughout this process, I am became very interested in pursuing how to tangibly articulate my findings, specifically, the audio from the broadcasts into a physical modality.
Twitter account created by a Rover fan that documented Rover Spirit’s time on Mars. Many tweets shared status updates to general public while simultaneously expressing anthropomorphisms and assigning the rover a female gender.
Sound waves from both the Pathfinder (red) and Spirit (blue) Mars missions. Sound waves translated from televised broadcasted live from the Mission Control room.
Rover Spirit
Lander Pathfinder
Stills from CNN’s televised broadcast of the 1997 Lander Pathfinder Mars Landing
Meticulously watching and rewatching both rover landing broadcasts, documenting each landing’s story arch such as rising action and climax while observing the behavioral cues from the Jet Propulsion Lab’s staff.
RESEARCH INFORMED DESIGN
The results of extensive research and development is entitled, 1h 2m. The publication’s title is derived from the combined duration of footage of both Lander Pathfinder 1997 and Rover Spirit’s 2004 missions to Mars.
1h 2m surveys deeply rooted anthropomorphisms and emotional responses of NASA engineers and space robotics. It highlights the Mars landings of Pathfinder and Spirit through the representation of sound waves and screen grabs of the landing’s televised broadcasts.
