Engagement and Presence
One aspect of social robots that we are concerned with in HRI studies pertains to how people perceive them. For instance, when a robot is designed to be depended on by a person for completing a task, it must be seen as trustworthy. This is not a feature that we know how to turn off or on, so it likely has to do with how the robot interacts with a person. In interactions where a person is relying on a robot for information, they must believe that the information is credible. Based on earlier research, this is one feature that could be affected by the presence or proximity of the robot. If information is being conveyed in a situation where a robot is teaching a person, then the robot must be capable of engaging the person accordingly. As with other aspects of social robots, there are many issues that affect engagement, as a number of studies have shown.
Social Presence in Animated Verses Robotic Characters
What we discovered is that a robot is an effective partner in an interaction because of its physical embodiment. Through our pair of experiments, we found that a robot is seen as more engaging than an animated character and is perceived as more credible and informative, as well as being more enjoyable to interact with.
Social Presence in Co-present Verses Remote robots
Overall, we see these studies as establishing some of the basic design parameters for robots that are intended to interact with humans in social situations. There remains much more work to be done before we have determined most of the parameters that will create a successful interaction, but the results presented here allow us to begin creating the kinds of interactions that will move human-robot interaction out of the lab in the near future.
One aspect of social robots that we are concerned with in HRI studies pertains to how people perceive them. For instance, when a robot is designed to be depended on by a person for completing a task, it must be seen as trustworthy. This is not a feature that we know how to turn off or on, so it likely has to do with how the robot interacts with a person. In interactions where a person is relying on a robot for information, they must believe that the information is credible. Based on earlier research, this is one feature that could be affected by the presence or proximity of the robot. If information is being conveyed in a situation where a robot is teaching a person, then the robot must be capable of engaging the person accordingly. As with other aspects of social robots, there are many issues that affect engagement, as a number of studies have shown.
Social Presence in Animated Verses Robotic Characters
What we discovered is that a robot is an effective partner in an interaction because of its physical embodiment. Through our pair of experiments, we found that a robot is seen as more engaging than an animated character and is perceived as more credible and informative, as well as being more enjoyable to interact with.
Social Presence in Co-present Verses Remote robots
Overall, we see these studies as establishing some of the basic design parameters for robots that are intended to interact with humans in social situations. There remains much more work to be done before we have determined most of the parameters that will create a successful interaction, but the results presented here allow us to begin creating the kinds of interactions that will move human-robot interaction out of the lab in the near future.
