Special Issue of IJSR on Social Robots: Form, Content, Critique

This special issue is an outcome of theCOSTStrategicWorkshop on Social Robotic and Sustainability that took place in Brussels, Belgium, on 10–13 June 2013 ( ). We would like to begin by thanking both participants and organizers of the workshop for a very rich and inspiring event. Particular thanks go to Professor Leopoldina Fortunati (Facolta di Scienze della Formazione Universita degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy) who encouraged us to pursue the possibility of this special issue in conversation with the Editor in chief, Shuzhi S. Ge. We have organized our issue around the three primary themes announced in the call, beginning with (1) Form/appearance (e.g., human/animal likeness in appearance; everyday media forms and robotic functions; cultural attitudes toward robot forms, etc.) In this section, we begin with Eleanor Sandry, “Reevaluating the form and communication of social robots: The benefits of collaborating with machinelike robots.” Sandry highlights a first thematic for this special issue—namely, that among the manifold disciplines required for adequate attention to social robots, media and communication studies must be included for what these fields can offer in terms of better understanding what is required for human sociability