We report the use of performance-based techniques, in particular embodiment, to prototype
a robot that promotes dance improvisation with human partners. The work draws on
interpretive research methods widely used in performance studies but still emergent within
design. It posits the outcome as an 'objectile'–a continuous and potentially divergent
iteration of prototypes is envisaged, rather than a singular product. We suggest that the
quasi-complex system achieved in SpiderCrab offers a transferable model for design in …