2005 · 531 citations · 15 references
EngineeringPsychologySocial PsychologyHuman-robot InteractionInterpersonal RelationshipsRoboticsAssistive RoboticsHuman-robot CommunicationHuman-robot Interaction DesignHuman-robot Interaction EvaluationSocially Assistive RoboticsChild-robot InteractionCompanion RobotsDomestic Robot InteractionHome Care RobotsRobot AcceptanceRobot PersonalitySocially Interactive Robots
The study explored people’s perceptions and attitudes toward a future home robot companion. The authors employed a human‑centred approach using questionnaires and interaction trials with 28 adults. Most participants favored a robot companion as an assistant or servant, preferred household tasks over child or animal care, valued humanlike communication but not appearance or behaviour, and few desired a friend role, with findings informing future development directions.
The study presented in this paper explored people's perceptions and attitudes towards the idea of a future robot companion for the home. A human-centred approach was adopted using questionnaires and human-robot interaction trials to derive data from 28 adults. Results indicated that a large proportion of participants were in favour of a robot companion and saw the potential role as being an assistant, machine or servant. Few wanted a robot companion to be a friend. Household tasks were preferred to child/animal care tasks. Humanlike communication was desirable for a robot companion, whereas humanlike behaviour and appearance were less essential. Results are discussed in relation to future research directions for the development of robot companions.
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