Key to making robots social: Human interaction, not design

ITHACA, N.Y. – Researchers who develop social robots – ones that people interact with – focus too much on design features and not enough on sociological factors, according to Cornell and Indiana University scholars.

“If we want to understand what makes a robot social, we have to look at the broader scope of the communities around robots and people’s interactions with each other,” said Malte Jung, co-author and associate professor of information science at Cornell. “Sociality is constructed through interactions people have with each other around the machine. It’s not just about programming a better character for the robot, making it respond better to human social features, making it look cuter or behaving more naturally.”

The research was based on field work by Waki Kamino, a doctoral student in the field of information science and the paper’s lead author, who spent months immersed in Tokyo’s robot-friendly culture.

Her work informed one of the paper’s primary findings: In Japan, manufacturers and robot owners together helped establish new norms for robots as social agents. Companies incorporated familiar designs into their robots and brought owners together by hosting sponsored events, while owners made their robots part of everyday interactions with friends and met up regularly in public spaces, robots in tow.

The research team calls on the field of human-robot interaction (HRI) to consider a broader sociological view when designing and building robot companions.

“Traditionally, HRI research has always looked at just this one interaction between one person and one robot,” Jung said. “We really have to look at the broader scope of the communities around people’s interactions with each other and take all of this into consideration.”

“Waki’s research shows that using robots doesn’t mean you’re isolating yourself with the robot,” said Selma Šabanović, professor at Indiana University and a paper co-author. “Interacting with robots is actually a social practice that you do together with others.”

For additional information, see this Cornell Chronicle story. 

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