Robotics: Social Cues Influence Human-Robot Interaction

New research that will be presented at the HFES 2015 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles in October looks at the importance of social cues for evaluating the role of trust in human-robot interaction.

Researchers are continuously considering the use of robots in highly tense civilian encounters to help minimize person-to-person contact and danger for peacekeeping personnel. Yet many factors must be taken into account, including cultural considerations, as well as physical qualities-both which are essential factors in the effectiveness of robotic peacekeepers.

"...interactions between machines and people should follow rules of behavior similar to the rules used in human-to-human interaction," said Joachim Meyer, coauthor of "Manners Matter: Trust in Robotic Peacekeepers" and a professor at Tel Aviv University's Department of Industrial Engineering, in a news release. "Robots are not seen as mindless technology; rather, they are considered agents with intentions."

The researchers asked 30 participants to report their first impression of a humanoid peacekeeping robot interacting with individuals using varying levels of politeness during a scenario that depicted the robot in charge of inspecting people who were trying to enter a building.

Findings revealed that the participants' attitude toward the robot was influenced in part by whether they perceived it to be polite or threatening. However, age or gender of the person's interaction with the robot did not seem to have an impact on the participants' impressions.

The study results regarding social etiquette seem to suggest that participants may prefer a "gentler, more polite" approach toward the elderly and women, judging the robot more harshly via interactions with the population.

"A robot who acted rudely toward an older lady was not evaluated more negatively than one with similar behavior toward a young man. Perhaps our rude robot's behavior was so rude that it overshadowed anything else."

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