Enaction
Encyclopedia
Enaction is one of the possible ways of organizing knowledge and one of the forms of interaction with the world. The first definition of Enaction
has been introduced by (Bruner
1966,1968) in association with the other two ways of knowledge organization: Iconic and Symbol
ic. The second was by Francisco Varela
and Humberto Maturana
.
Enactive knowledge is knowledge that comes through action and it is constructed on motor skills, such as manipulating objects, riding a bicycle or playing a sport. The Enactive knowledges of entities are the ones acquired by doing.
The aim of the research on Enaction is the construction of Enactive interfaces, that are interactive systems that allow to organize and transmit this particular type of knowledge. Multimodal
interfaces are a good candidate for the creation of Enactive interfaces because of their coordinated use of haptic
, sound and vision. Such research is the main objective of the ENACTIVE Network of Excellence, a European consortium of more than 20 research laboratories that are joining their research effort for the definition, development and exploitation of Enactive interfaces.
Enaction has been also theorised recently by Domenico Masciotra, Wolff-Michael Roth and Denise Morel (2007).
because it requires the coordination of the various senses.
Enactive Interfaces are related to a fundamental interaction concept which is not exploited by most of the existing Human-Computer Interface technologies. As stated by the famous cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner
, the traditional interaction with the information mediated by a computer is mostly based on symbolic or iconic knowledge, and not on Enactive knowledge. While in the symbolic way of learning knowledge is stored as words, mathematical symbols or other symbol systems, in the iconic stage knowledge is stored in the form of visual images, such as diagrams and illustrations that can accompany verbal information. On the other hand, Enactive knowledge is a form of knowledge based on the active use of the hand for apprehension tasks.
The development of such interfaces requires the creation of a common vision between different research areas like computer vision
, haptic
and sound processing, giving more attention on the motor action aspect of interaction. An example of prototypical systems that are able to introduce enactive interfaces are reactive robots, robots that are always in contact with the human hand (like current play console controllers, Wii remote
) and are capable of interpreting the human movements and guiding the human for the completion of a manipulation task.
Since 2004 the partners, coordinated by the PERCRO laboratory, have improved both the theoretical aspects of Enaction, through seminars and the creation of a Lexicon
, and the technological aspects necessary for the creation of Enactive interfaces. Every year the status of the ENACTIVE NoE is presented through an International Conference.
has been introduced by (Bruner
Jerome Bruner
Jerome Seymour Bruner is an American psychologist who has contributed to cognitive psychology and cognitive learning theory in educational psychology, as well as to history and to the general philosophy of education. Bruner is currently a senior research fellow at the New York University School...
1966,1968) in association with the other two ways of knowledge organization: Iconic and Symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ic. The second was by Francisco Varela
Francisco Varela
Francisco Javier Varela García , was a Chilean biologist, philosopher and neuroscientist who, together with his teacher Humberto Maturana, is best known for introducing the concept of autopoiesis to biology.-Biography:...
and Humberto Maturana
Humberto Maturana
Humberto Maturana is a Chilean biologist and philosopher. He is considered a member of the second wave of cybernetics, known for developing a theory of autopoiesis about the nature of reflexive feedback control in living systems.- Biography :After completing secondary school at the Liceo Manuel de...
.
Enactive knowledge is knowledge that comes through action and it is constructed on motor skills, such as manipulating objects, riding a bicycle or playing a sport. The Enactive knowledges of entities are the ones acquired by doing.
The aim of the research on Enaction is the construction of Enactive interfaces, that are interactive systems that allow to organize and transmit this particular type of knowledge. Multimodal
Multimodal
Multimodal may refer to:* Multimodal distribution, a statistical distribution of values with multiple peaks* Multimodal interaction, a form of human-machine interaction using multiple modes of input/output....
interfaces are a good candidate for the creation of Enactive interfaces because of their coordinated use of haptic
Haptic perception
Haptic perception is the process of recognizing objects through touch. It involves a combination of somatosensory perception of patterns on the skin surface and proprioception of hand position and conformation....
, sound and vision. Such research is the main objective of the ENACTIVE Network of Excellence, a European consortium of more than 20 research laboratories that are joining their research effort for the definition, development and exploitation of Enactive interfaces.
Enaction has been also theorised recently by Domenico Masciotra, Wolff-Michael Roth and Denise Morel (2007).
Enactive Knowledge
Enactive Knowledge is information gained through perception-action interaction in the environment. In many aspects the Enactive Knowledge is more natural than the other forms both in terms of the learning process and in the way it is applied in the world. Such knowledge is inherently multimodalMultimodal
Multimodal may refer to:* Multimodal distribution, a statistical distribution of values with multiple peaks* Multimodal interaction, a form of human-machine interaction using multiple modes of input/output....
because it requires the coordination of the various senses.
Enactive Interfaces are related to a fundamental interaction concept which is not exploited by most of the existing Human-Computer Interface technologies. As stated by the famous cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner
Jerome Bruner
Jerome Seymour Bruner is an American psychologist who has contributed to cognitive psychology and cognitive learning theory in educational psychology, as well as to history and to the general philosophy of education. Bruner is currently a senior research fellow at the New York University School...
, the traditional interaction with the information mediated by a computer is mostly based on symbolic or iconic knowledge, and not on Enactive knowledge. While in the symbolic way of learning knowledge is stored as words, mathematical symbols or other symbol systems, in the iconic stage knowledge is stored in the form of visual images, such as diagrams and illustrations that can accompany verbal information. On the other hand, Enactive knowledge is a form of knowledge based on the active use of the hand for apprehension tasks.
Enactive Interfaces
Enactive Interfaces are new types of Human-Computer Interface that allow to express and transmit the Enactive knowledge by integrating different sensory aspects. The driving concept of Enactive Interfaces is then the fundamental role of motor action for storing and acquiring knowledge (action driven interfaces). Enactive Interfaces are then capable of conveying and understanding gestures of the user, in order to provide an adequate response in perceptual terms. Enactive Interfaces can be considered a new step in the development of the human-computer interaction because they are characterized by a closed loop between the natural gestures of the user (efferent component of the system) and the perceptual modalities activated (afferent component). Enactive Interfaces can be conceived to exploit this direct loop and the capability of recognising complex gestures.The development of such interfaces requires the creation of a common vision between different research areas like computer vision
Computer vision
Computer vision is a field that includes methods for acquiring, processing, analysing, and understanding images and, in general, high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information, e.g., in the forms of decisions...
, haptic
Haptic perception
Haptic perception is the process of recognizing objects through touch. It involves a combination of somatosensory perception of patterns on the skin surface and proprioception of hand position and conformation....
and sound processing, giving more attention on the motor action aspect of interaction. An example of prototypical systems that are able to introduce enactive interfaces are reactive robots, robots that are always in contact with the human hand (like current play console controllers, Wii remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
) and are capable of interpreting the human movements and guiding the human for the completion of a manipulation task.
ENACTIVE Network of Excellence
The research on Enactive Knowledge and Enactive Interfaces is the objective of the ENACTIVE Network of Excellence. A Network of Excellence is a European Community research instrument that provides fundings for the integration of the research activities of different research laboratories and institutions. The ENACTIVE NoE started in 2004 with more than 20 partners with the objective of the creation of a multidisciplinary research community with the aim of structuring the research on a new generation of human-computer interfaces called Enactive Interfaces.. The aim of this NoE is not only the research on Enactive Interfaces by itself, but also the integration of the partners through a Virtual Laboratory and the spreading of the expertise and knowledge of the Network.Since 2004 the partners, coordinated by the PERCRO laboratory, have improved both the theoretical aspects of Enaction, through seminars and the creation of a Lexicon
Lexicon
In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...
, and the technological aspects necessary for the creation of Enactive interfaces. Every year the status of the ENACTIVE NoE is presented through an International Conference.
External links
- ENACTIVE Network of Excellence
- ENACTIVE 2008, 5th International Conference on Enactive Interfaces, Pisa, Italy
- ENACTIVE 2007, 4th International Conference on Enactive Interfaces + Enaction_in_Arts, Grenoble, France
- ENACTIVE 2006, 3rd International Conference on Enactive Interfaces, Montpellier, France
- ENACTIVE 2005, 2nd International Conference on Enactive Interfaces, Genova, Italy