In July researchers from the Different Bodies project joined colleagues from partnering Coventry University for a day of filming at a unique location: RAE Bedford, a former aircraft research facility now known as Twinwoods Business Park. Shot against the incredible backdrop of this facility, Different Bodies’ new artistic production explores themes of bodies and technology as they meet in long forgotten spaces.

Different Bodies investigates themes of close bodily contact, sensing technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics, with a particular focus on how disability can challenge societal narratives of risk, vulnerability and autonomy. The footage captured during the filming day will contribute to the production of a film featuring dance artist and disability advocate Annie Edwards. The performance is choreographed by long term Somabotics collaborators Welly O’Brien and Kate Marsh and the film is being produced by creative partner Jay Gearing from Red7 productions.

The day began with an early start for the artists, as well as the research team which included Rachael Garrett, Simon Castle-Green, Pete Gilbert, Sarah Whatley and Steve Benford. The setup team arrived onsite at 7.30am to construct a unique performance platform for Annie and a Franka Robot Arm, as well as assembling lighting and filming equipment. A wide range of specialist equipment was used throughout the day, including custom built staging, timelapse and action cameras, sound capture equipment and  filming drone.

The filming sessions involved capturing the performance from multiple angles, as well as close up footage of Annie performing with the robot arm from the Cobot Maker Space.  Throughout the day, the research team gathered ethnographic data and observations of the filming process. Filming finished at 3.30pm, allowing sufficient time to dismantle the robot stage, pack away equipment and clear the site before departure at 5pm.

The completed film – title to be decided – is expected to be released in Autumn 2026.

Different Bodies builds on earlier research exploring embodied trust in autonomous systems and how expressive movement and dance can be used to reimagine physical interaction with robots. This work was supported by the Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Hub and Horizon Digital Economy Research.

Annie Edwards performs with the Franka Emika Robot