EMTECH is an international and interdisciplinary research project that examines the relationship between aesthetic works on human-machine interaction in Japan and advances in artificial emotional intelligence. Through the analysis of new storytelling techniques, virtual spaces, and ethnographic observations of human-robot interaction in homes and public spaces, EMTECH’s purpose is to collect qualitative data on our expanding capacities to relate emotionally to and using technology. The project's ultimate aim is to find out how humans create affective bonds to (emotionally-intelligent) machines and what implications this has on social issues in the private and public spheres in everyday life in Japan.

EMTECH is a five-year scientific project funded by the European Research Council and hosted by Freie Universität Berlin. For further information, please contact the project's principal investigator, Prof. Dr. Elena Giannoulis.