Professor George Rodosthenous directs ARGOS as closing performance at major international robotics conference in London

Professor George Rodosthenous, Interim Head of the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds, directed the closing performance of ARGOS at the

18th International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR + Art 2026) in London. The performance took place on 3 July 2026 at Senate House, University of London, in front of an audience of 250 delegates and attendees from across the global robotics and creative industries communities.

ARGOS, a 35-minute performance, explores the intersection of human emotion, technology, as a relation through theatrical interaction between a robot dog and human actor. Set against the mythic backdrop of Homer's Odyssey, the piece reimagines the moment Odysseus returns from war after 20 years and is recognised only by his faithful dog Argos, here embodied by a robot dog.

The performance investigates the complex relationship between humans and robots through themes of trust, error, intimacy, vulnerability, and the ethics of human-robot interaction. It raises key research questions about how robot "errors" can be used dramaturgically to explore human vulnerability, and how anthropomorphism influences audience perceptions of connection between a human actor and a machine.

A collaboration between the University of Leeds, University of the Arts London, Cyprus University of Technology, and CYENS as part of the Creative Robotics Theatre research initiative, ARGOS was produced and composed by Dr Hooman Samani (UAL), performed by Edmund Digby-Jones, with text by Myron M. Pavenos and creative support from Dr Saina Akhond and Dr Doros Polydorou as part of a wider production team.

The performance was a highlight of ICSR + Art 2026, the leading international forum for social robotics research, which ran from 1–4 July at Senate House with the special theme of exploring creative robotics. ARGOS was positioned as a showcase of how robotics and theatre can come together to inspire new reflections on technology and human connection.

The performance was supported by research funding from the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds.

 

Director: Professor George Rodosthenous

Producer / Consultant / Music: Dr Hooman Samani

Performer: Mr Edmund Digby-Jones

Text: Mr Myron m. Pavenos 

Digital Twin: Dr Saina Akhond, Mr Ruiyang Wang

Robot Dog Operator: Mr Michael Gbeleyi

Lighting: Mr Serhan Seckin

Consultant: Dr Doros Polydorou & Mr Chandler Chang

With thanks to Mr Yorgos Bakalos who worked on the pilot workshop and performance of ARGOS in the Greek language.

Production Photo by Yu Wei.