As robots become more ubiquitous, the need to study their interactions with humans, especially the social aspects of the interactions, becomes of paramount importance. One facet of social interaction is the height of the robot, previous research has shown that the height at which a robot is placed, plays an important role in how people who are interacting with it, perceive it. In this study, we extend this research to Furhat, a social robot that is equipped with a multitude of customizable options and sensors. We conduct a controlled experiment that tests how humans perceive a social robot if it is placed above eye level (looking down at them) or below eye level (looking up at them)
We undertook a comprehensive literature review focusing on the rise in the use of humanoid robots in various sectors, from healthcare to customer service. One aspect that was found in this interactions that has not been studied extensively is how the height of a humanoid robot influences interactions and collaborations with humans. In any social human-to-human interaction, height is an important factor that influences how the interaction proceeds and affects the perception of authority, friendliness, and approachability. Extending this to human-robot interactions could reveal insightful information about the impact on user comfort, the effectiveness of the interaction, and the overall human experience. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for designing humanoid robots that are better suited for intended roles and environments. Previous research in this domain explored this with robotic telepresence systems and concluded that the height of the telepresence assembly influenced how users interacted with it. In the current study, we take this a step further by studying the impact of height on human-robot interaction with a social robot like Furhat.
Based on the research performed in previous work, we formulated the research question to see if the height at which Furhat was being placed would support or undermine the participant’s feelings of authority when interacting with the robot. Then, to test the hypotheses and answer the research question, we conducted a controlled, between-groups experiment that involved a one-on-one interaction between the Furhat robot and the participants. The participants were positioned at a set height while the Furhat Robot was positioned either above or below their eye level, and the same Furhat robot was used across all trials.
Research Question:
Does the height at which Furhat is placed affect its approachability and the comfort level of users in social settings?
Hypothesis:
H0: The height at which Furhat is placed does not have a significant effect on its approachability and the comfort level of users in the negotiation scenario.
H1: The height at which Furhat is placed has a significant effect on its approachability and the comfort level of users in social settings
Seventeen adults (8 females and 9 males), whose ages ranged between 20 and 30 years, volunteered to participate. 70 percent of the participants had no prior interaction with Furhat before the study, and 30 percent did. We recruited, through word of mouth, from people in the University who were taking the same or similar master’s program as the group members.
Read more about it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zCto0cDDn2OBhwqBfzygxr0Ze9hR63bt/view?usp=sharing