The present study is focused on the relation among habit, prosthetics or wearable robotics (WR) and phenomenology. This paper will provide a phenomenological analysis of persisting in, or attempting to recreate, a habit via prosthetics, to increase our understanding of the role of bodily self-presentation to others in human self-perception and identity. Phenomenology interprets bodily self-perception either in terms of being a body (Leib) or having a body (Körper). We will focus on a case of an amputee woman who is using a prosthetic leg enabling to continue the habit of wearing high heels. This case illustrates how the restoration of habitual social self-presentation via a prosthetic interaction is connected to self-perception and identity. We will use our analysis to emphasize the more general importance of WR, beyond its practical relevance in functional restoration, for social interaction and human identity. The possibility that WR can play a crucial role in user’s life, beyond the direct pragmatic or aesthetic reasons, needs to be taken into account during the design and developmental stages of WR.
“High heels” habit: the phenomenological meaning of prosthetics use
Marsia Barbera
2018-01-01
Abstract
The present study is focused on the relation among habit, prosthetics or wearable robotics (WR) and phenomenology. This paper will provide a phenomenological analysis of persisting in, or attempting to recreate, a habit via prosthetics, to increase our understanding of the role of bodily self-presentation to others in human self-perception and identity. Phenomenology interprets bodily self-perception either in terms of being a body (Leib) or having a body (Körper). We will focus on a case of an amputee woman who is using a prosthetic leg enabling to continue the habit of wearing high heels. This case illustrates how the restoration of habitual social self-presentation via a prosthetic interaction is connected to self-perception and identity. We will use our analysis to emphasize the more general importance of WR, beyond its practical relevance in functional restoration, for social interaction and human identity. The possibility that WR can play a crucial role in user’s life, beyond the direct pragmatic or aesthetic reasons, needs to be taken into account during the design and developmental stages of WR.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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