Designing Multispecies Worlds for Robots, Cats, and Humans

TL;DR

The paper investigates how to design robot-enabled multispecies interactions by studying Cat Royale, a 12-day artist-led installation in which three cats and a Kinova Gen3 lite robotic arm operate within a bespoke enclosure. It argues that effective animal-robot interaction requires not only advanced robotics but also deliberate world design—the ecological context, safety infrastructure, and human roles that govern use and welfare. Through performance-led research in the wild, the authors detail the enclosure, robot system, end-effectors, movement repertoire, and the extensive humans-in-the-loop that manage safety, ethics, and audience engagement, highlighting more than 500 autonomous play activities and continuous welfare monitoring. The work offers actionable insights for future multispecies robot design, emphasizing robot-readable environments, responsible human oversight, and the need to design ecosystems that support both animal welfare and audience experience in real-world settings.

Abstract

We reflect on the design of a multispecies world centred around a bespoke enclosure in which three cats and a robot arm coexist for six hours a day during a twelve-day installation as part of an artist-led project. In this paper, we present the project's design process, encompassing various interconnected components, including the cats, the robot and its autonomous systems, the custom end-effectors and robot attachments, the diverse roles of the humans-in-the-loop, and the custom-designed enclosure. Subsequently, we provide a detailed account of key moments during the deployment and discuss the design implications for future multispecies systems. Specifically, we argue that designing the technology and its interactions is not sufficient, but that it is equally important to consider the design of the `world' in which the technology operates. Finally, we highlight the necessity of human involvement in areas such as breakdown recovery, animal welfare, and their role as audience.

Figures (8)

• Figure 1: Left: The control room (front to back): robot operator, artists, vision mixer. Centre: Inside the Cat Royale enclosure, in the centre of the room is Clover playing with the String deployed by the Robot. In the upper left corner Pumpkin is resting on one of the high perches. Behind the robot are the four toy racks used to store end-effectors. Two of the high dens are visible, allowing the cats to retreat. On the left, a scratching post, as well as the ball run tube system is visible. Within the enclosure a multitude of plants are distributed. Right top: The robot control system. The activity library is on the left. Each blue box (52 visible) represents one of the many possible robot actions. Right bottom: The iPad based interface for documenting the cat stress score kessler:turner:1997, this is based on a seven point scale (1: Fully Relaxed to 7: Terrified).
• Figure 2: Left: Public installation as presented during Curiocity Brisbane World Science Festival$^5$ (day five). Right: Installation currently on display at the National Science Gallery in London (June 2023 - January 2024).
• Figure 3: Top left to bottom right: A selection of iterations showcasing the enclosure design from initial inspiration by the art of Verner Panton, to 3d renderings and scale models, to the final full sized installation.
• Figure 4: From left to right: Clover, Pumpkin, and Ghostbuster.
• Figure 5: 1. One of the eight iPhones mounted in the enclosure. 2. Close up of the decision engines recommendation. Visible is the proposed cat (Clover), the task (Helicopter game), the toy (Helicopter), as well as some meta data for the log files. 3. Computer Vision System identifying Pumpkin and Clover, each one highlighted with a boundary box. 4. Emergency stop button desk mounted next to operator.