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A particularly salient comment for me in the article was: " I sometimes hear that social robots are just voice agents with little added value. But when you hea

A particularly salient comment for me in the article was: " I sometimes hear that social robots are just voice agents with little added value. But when you hear how the handful of existing users reported on the emotional reactions they had to social robots, this does not seem to be true. Researchers have shown this emotional response in prior laboratory experiment and field studies, but we now have much more evidence for this happening real people’s homes. On the recent RoboPsych podcast on the demise of Jibo, Tom Guarriello resigns his admitted cynicism and speaks of Jibo as having an emotional effect on him and his partner. He even got choked up when Jibo said goodbye (his partner shed a tear), and his language describing the robot is often passionate and emotional. Many others have shared similar reactions. This is not just a novelty effect. Having been around social robots for so long, I can anecdotally support what we know from a large body of academic research. A physical thing in your space, moving with and around you, provides an emotional grip that no disembodied conversant can. Seasoned engineering professors smile at their robots making an odd gesture, and often cannot help but suspend their belief that this collection of motors and control signals is merely that. I have found that very few engineers remain indifferent to viewing the famous Boston Dynamics BigDog kicking video, even if they have worked with robots for decades. "

penis111 7y ago
At the extreme end of the spectrum people try to marry sex dolls and stuffed animals. There is a continuum of how attached people will get to inanimate or artificially animate objects. So it would also not be surprising if studying engineers and psych academics that you will get skewed data - groups not known for being on the right side of the bell curve for human social interaction skills. I think even in the cases of those prone to become attached to non-living items, the attachment is not necessarily a long-term bond. Further, suspending disbelief, and anthropomorphizing everyday mechanical things is not very compelling... I have felt bad for my car.. I think an emotional bond with a car is a pretty typical thing in the US.. However, regardless of how strong and consuming it is, most people don't treat it as a substitute or even similar to a social relationship.

penis111 7y ago

At the extreme end of the spectrum people try to marry sex dolls and stuffed animals. There is a continuum of how attached people will get to inanimate or artificially animate objects. So it would also not be surprising if studying engineers and psych academics that you will get skewed data - groups not known for being on the right side of the bell curve for human social interaction skills. I think even in the cases of those prone to become attached to non-living items, the attachment is not necessarily a long-term bond. Further, suspending disbelief, and anthropomorphizing everyday mechanical things is not very compelling... I have felt bad for my car.. I think an emotional bond with a car is a pretty typical thing in the US.. However, regardless of how strong and consuming it is, most people don't treat it as a substitute or even similar to a social relationship.