In robotics, the advances and developments are becoming more and more visible. Industry has long dreamed that robots will be our companions of tomorrow. But when will robots be most widely accepted? TECHBOOK interviewed Martina Mara, who works as a robot psychologist at the renowned Ars Electronica Futurelab in Linz (Austria).
TECHBOOK.de: How does a robot have to be built so that we accept it as a counterpart?
Martina Mara: “There are currently many robot developers in Asia who are moving in the direction of creating robots that are as human-like as possible. Not only in social behavior, also in optics. From a psychological perspective, however, I would say that this is counterproductive. Even if there were attempts early in human history to create images of ourselves that were as realistic as possible, in reality we tend to reject such creatures. In fact, we often find all-too-human machines creepy.”
Why?
“Well, actually it would apply: The more human-like a robot, in its appearance, in its appearance, the better we can accept it, empathize with it. This is also true for many cartoon characters or robots of the type R2-D2. The creepiness arises at the point where the robot tries to imitate the human as perfectly as possible, but doesn’t quite succeed. If there is even a slight delay in the blink of an eye in the image or there is a very slight mechanical corner in the movement, we often perceive it as creepy. Scientists would say: The robot falls into the so-called Uncanny Valley. The acceptance of the character decreases dramatically because we can no longer classify it.”
Are we getting scared?
“We get a categorization problem: What is this now? Is it more of a human or more of a machine, or is it some sort of hybrid being? You don’t know what kind of expectations to approach. Now should I expect the creature to behave like a human being as intelligent as a human, or is it just a computer tucked into a specially designed outfit?”
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Doesn’t that happen with robots that don’t resemble us at all?
“If a robot is clearly recognizable to us as a machine, we can usually accept it better. Then we also find human behavior sympathetic, because the first time we meet, it’s clear: ‘Okay, category robots.’ Especially now, in the early days of human-robot interactions in everyday life, we find it easier if the robot remains clearly identifiable as such. Not least in view of the old fear of being replaced by machines, whether based on ethical or economic concerns, I would welcome robots that complement us as partners, but do not imitate them. Visually and in their areas of responsibility.”
What other design approaches help to develop the accepted friendly helper robot of tomorrow?
“One aspect, for example, would be the body size of the robot. A robot appears less dominant if it is smaller than the user. In many environments, smaller robots are more usable than machines two meters tall. Then there is the head tilt phenomenon. We know from extensive research that people who are portrayed in portraits with their heads slightly tilted are perceived as friendlier, more attractive, and less dominant than people with their heads held straight. This non-verbal effect is also evident in robots. A slight tilt of the head, even if this is abstract, gives a bit of subservience in the expression. The child scheme also works well. A large head area, an overrelation of the head to the body. If it has to be: big eyes. That’s easy to do with robots.”
A clearly visible off button helps?
“I would assume so, yes. Acceptance can certainly be helped if a robot continues to leave final decisions to us in the future, when it has become even smarter, even though it could carry out many things just as autonomously. For transport and assistance tasks, in the hospital, in the company foyer, at home. I think it’s good if the robot also communicates proactively, keeps us up to date. ‘You, right now there is option A and option B, it would probably be better if you took option A now. Is that in your mind?’. It’s also about our need for control.”
Should robots also smell delicious?
“An interesting question. Unconsciously, of course, something like that also plays a part. I’m pretty sure there are already robots that use perfume too. Work is being done on everything possible.”