What makes a good social robot? The answer might surprise you
Making a good first impression is important to many people – and it turns out it’s also something you need to think about when it comes to social robots, or robots designed for interpersonal interactions with humans.
New research out of the University of Waterloo’s Social and Intelligent Robotics Research Lab has found that people prefer robots that seem similar to themselves.
The study, done by professors Moojan Ghafurian and Kersten Dautenhahn, asked 95 people to rate pictures of 11 different robots on some key characteristics like how good, active and powerful they appeared.
Participants then had to rate themselves on the same traits and say how interested they would be in working with the various robots in a health care setting.
The results were interesting.
“The closer they rated the robot to themselves, the more interested they were to use it in a health care scenario,” says Ghafurian.
Nao, a robot from the University of Waterloo Social and Intelligent Robotics Research Lab, whose image was used as part of the study. (Krista Simpson/CTV Kitchener)
The information could help fine-tune robots in the future.
“We want them to be successful, so we want them to be personalizable, which means to adjust their personality and interactions based on each individual,” Ghafurian explains.
Social robots could one day be used in numerous other settings too, including education. Masters student Andrea Chakma, who is also studying social robots, says the potential ranges from using robots to help children improve their spelling, to reminding older people to take their medications throughout the day.
Nao, a robot from the University of Waterloo Social and Intelligent Robotics Research Lab, whose image was used as part of the study. (Krista Simpson/CTV Kitchener)
Ghafurian is particularly interested in how robots could help older adults, including people with dementia.
Chakma says good first impressions are especially important as people become familiar with the idea of social robots in real life, and not just how they’re portrayed in fiction.
“Oftentimes we see robots portrayed as sometimes scary, sometimes things that we don't understand, things that we don't recognize,” says Chakma. “So if a robot, at first glance, can make a really good impression for you and you can connect with that robot, then it makes you feel a lot more at ease and a lot more comfortable when you're actually interacting with it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.