Exploration of Human Reactions to a Humanoid Robot in Public STEM Education. (September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Huang, Lixiao; McDonald, Daniel; Gillan, Douglas
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ... Annual Meeting. Volume 61:Part 1(2017)
• Page Start: 1262
• Page End: 1266
• Publication Date: 2017-09
• Subjects: Human engineering -- Congresses; 620.8205
• DOI: 10.1177/1541931213601796
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1541-9312

Abstract

The service and entertainment industry advocates the possibility of using humanoid robots; however, direct interaction experience is uncommon. To understand humans' interactions with humanoid robots, the present study used a robot capable of face recognition and conversation in a park and a school setting to explore the behavioral patterns of humans, dialog themes, and emotional responses. Results showed that humans' behavioral patterns included looking at the robot, talking to the robot, talking to others about the robot, and adults taking photos. School children showed strong interest to interact with the robot and rich emotional responses. Major dialog themes included greeting, asking about the robot's identity, testing the robot's knowledge and capabilities, asking and replying about preferences and opinions, and correcting the robot's errors. Observed emotional responses included liking, surprise, excitement, fright, frustration, and awkwardness. Humans interacted with the robot similarly to how they would interact with other humans but also differently. The educational value and design implication for humanoid robots are discussed.