Nukabot: Design of Care for Human-Microbe Relationships

Dominique Chen; Young Ah Seong; Hiraku Ogura; Yuto Mitani; Naoto Sekiya; Kiichi Moriya

doi:10.1145/3411763.3451605

Nukabot: Design of Care for Human-Microbe Relationships

Dominique Chen, Young Ah Seong, Hiraku Ogura, Yuto Mitani, Naoto Sekiya, Kiichi Moriya

School of Culture, Media and Society

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Human-computer interaction (HCI) researchers have explored designs that connect humans and non-human beings based on post-humanistic discussions on speculative ethics of care regarding more-than-human worlds. Following these empirical and theoretical frameworks, this paper explores the potential of HCI design to foster human affective emotion toward fermentative microbes. We present the design process for the Nukabot, which is a technologically enhanced traditional Japanese wooden bucket used to pickle vegetables using lactic acid bacteria; the Nukabot is able to have conversations with humans via voice interaction. We describe the ethnographic accounts of six participants who spent 10 days taking care of, talking to, and being addressed by the Nukabot. We analyze their experiences through three ethopoietic elements of care: maintenance, affection, and obligation. Finally, we discuss the design implications of the Nukabot and its contributions to HCI research.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA 2021
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)	9781450380959
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3451605
Publication status	Published - 2021 May 8
Event	2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Making Waves, Combining Strengths, CHI EA 2021 - Virtual, Online, Japan Duration: 2021 May 8 → 2021 May 13

Publication series

Name	Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Conference

Conference	2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Making Waves, Combining Strengths, CHI EA 2021
Country/Territory	Japan
City	Virtual, Online
Period	21/5/8 → 21/5/13

Keywords

affective relationship
care
fermented food
microbes
more than human

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Human-Computer Interaction
Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
Software

Access to Document

10.1145/3411763.3451605

Cite this

Chen, D., Seong, Y. A., Ogura, H., Mitani, Y., Sekiya, N., & Moriya, K. (2021). Nukabot: Design of Care for Human-Microbe Relationships. In Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA 2021 (Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3451605

Nukabot: Design of Care for Human-Microbe Relationships. / Chen, Dominique; Seong, Young Ah; Ogura, Hiraku et al.
Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA 2021. Association for Computing Machinery, 2021. (Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

Chen, D, Seong, YA, Ogura, H, Mitani, Y, Sekiya, N & Moriya, K 2021, Nukabot: Design of Care for Human-Microbe Relationships. in Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA 2021. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings, Association for Computing Machinery, 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Making Waves, Combining Strengths, CHI EA 2021, Virtual, Online, Japan, 21/5/8. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3451605

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Nukabot: Design of Care for Human-Microbe Relationships

Abstract

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Conference

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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