Petra Gemeinboeck
University of Applied Arts Vienna, UNSW Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology
Papers
20
Total Citations
231
H-Index
10
About
Petra Gemeinboeck is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, creative robotics, and performance art, whose work fundamentally challenges how we design and understand relationships between humans and machines. With over 150 citations across her most influential publications, Gemeinboeck has established herself as a leading voice in relational-performative approaches to robotics, arguing that meaning in human-robot interaction emerges not from humanlike mimicry but from embodied, aesthetic encounter. Her most celebrated contributions include a theoretical framework for relational-performative aesthetics in HRI and groundbreaking investigations into how movement — informed by dance and kinesthetic awareness — can imbue non-anthropomorphic robots with genuine social presence. Her Performative Body Mapping method, developed collaboratively with dancers and machine learning systems, offers a novel design tool for crafting affective robot motion without defaulting to human imitation. Gemeinboeck's work spans over a decade, from early explorations of embodied artificial creativity ("Curious Whispers," 2010) to feminist reconceptualizations of robotic agency ("Dancing with the Nonhuman," 2023). Her scholarship consistently bridges critical theory, creative practice, and technical innovation, making her an essential reference for researchers interested in the social, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of robotics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Movement Matters38 citations · 2017
- 3
- 4Creative Machine Performance: Computational Creativity and Robotic Art18 citations · 2013
- 5
- 6Curious Whispers: An Embodied Artificial Creative System.15 citations · 2010
- 7
- 8Dancing with the Nonhuman12 citations · 2023
- 9Evaluating Human-Robot Interaction with Embodied Creative Systems11 citations · 2013
- 10The Performance of Creative Machines10 citations · 2016