The Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive: Catie Cuan on Dancing and Living With Robots
Jul 24, 2025
Catie Cuan, a robot choreographer and former artist in residence at Everyday Robots, seeks to humanize robotics through dance. She discusses how movement can make robots appear less mechanical and more relatable. Catie shares her insights on teaching robots human social cues and how transforming robotic motion into music nurtures emotional connections. She also emphasizes the importance of designing robots that don't look overtly robotic, aiming to alleviate humanity's fears and foster a future where robots enhance daily life.
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Humanistic Robots through Art
- Robots should feel humanistic, whimsical, and accessible to have positive societal impact.
- Art and choreography bridge emotional experiences and machine care technologies.
Dance Shapes Robot Motion
- Billions of diverse people will use robots, requiring multi-disciplinary design.
- Choreographers uniquely enable autonomous robot motion to be emotionally effective and clear.
Body Language for Robots
- Robots need subtle, human-like proxemic and motion cues to feel safe and predictable.
- Modest body language changes can reduce creepiness and increase human comfort.