Public defence in New Media, Avner Peled

Title of the thesis: Intergroup Contact with Participatory Telerobotic Puppetry: Tricksters in the face of intractable conflicts

Thesis defender: Avner Peled
Opponent: Prof. Atte Oksanen, University of Tampere, Finland
Custos: Prof. Teemu Leinonen,Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture

The thesis introduces a new method of peacebuilding with technology: participatory telerobotic puppetry. When opposing social groups are in a state of an intractable conflict, a conflict that becomes deeply rooted in culture and the identity of the groups, technology can be seen as a tool for reconciliation. It enables communication over distances and lets people experience the perspective of the other in a virtual reality. However, such interventions often remain in the virtual realm and do not drive long-term collective action toward peace. 

I argue that technology should be used more creatively and in a participatory manner to address intractable conflicts and demonstrate this in the field of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I start by proposing the use of remote-controlled robots, or ‘telerobots’, as a communication tool for peacebuilding that maintains a physical connection to the land. After an extensive review of the literature in the fields of social psychology and human-robot interaction, as well as a survey in Israel and Palestine, I propose involving participants from conflicting groups in the creation of a robotic puppet theater that can be performed simultaneously in two locations. 

Puppets have the unique ability to represent two narratives simultaneously, that of a character and that of the puppeteer who is bound to the puppet in an emotional connection. They allow a safe space of expression and the experience of ‘radical empathy’: a collective ritual that encourages the action of others in support of the performer. Using robots as puppets rather than avatars enables this ritual across borders. 

As part of the thesis, I developed an open-source toolkit for the creation of a telerobotic puppet theater and applied it in a participatory workshop with Israeli Jews and Palestinians from the Tech2Peace organization. The results showed that theater production can facilitate the discussion of the conflict in a playful and educational environment and that the performance has the potential to expose new audiences to a meaningful encounter with the opposing group. The thesis also includes guidelines for future ‘boundary crossing’ workshops and an account of an ad hoc follow-up intervention that was carried out in response to the war that began on October 7, 2023.

Key words: intergroup contact, participatory design, human–robot interaction, telerobotics, theater of the oppressed, Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at Aaltodoc. 

Contact: avner.peled@aalto.fi