Gendered Robots: Implications for Our Humanoid Future

Abstract

In the film Her, the main character Theodore sits in a darkened room, lit only by a computer screen in front of him (Figure 1). A synthetic voice helps him to set up his new "Operating System". The purpose of this article is to discuss how gendering humanoid robot artefacts in our social realm might transform human-human interaction and understandings of gender. Due to the complexity of this research space it is important to consider the range of current literature in this area. The range includes discussion of culture, ofhow gender is embodied in different societies, of design, of the design process and human-robot interaction (HRI), and of the social implications, drawing culture and design together.