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Main Authors: Hashimoto, Nanami, Hagens, Emma, Zgonnikov, Arkady, Lupetti, Maria Luce
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.05400
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author Hashimoto, Nanami
Hagens, Emma
Zgonnikov, Arkady
Lupetti, Maria Luce
author_facet Hashimoto, Nanami
Hagens, Emma
Zgonnikov, Arkady
Lupetti, Maria Luce
contents Unprecedented possibilities of quadruped robots have driven much research on the technical aspects of these robots. However, the social perception and acceptability of quadruped robots so far remain poorly understood. This work investigates whether the way we design quadruped robots' behaviors can affect people's perception of safety in interactions with these robots. We designed and tested a dominant and submissive personality for the quadruped robot (Boston Dynamics Spot). These were tested in two different walking scenarios (head-on and crossing interactions) in a 2x2 within-subjects study. We collected both behavioral data and subjective reports on participants' perception of the interaction. The results highlight that participants perceived the submissive robot as safer compared to the dominant one. The behavioral dynamics of interactions did not change depending on the robot's appearance. Participants' previous in-person experience with the robot was associated with lower subjective safety ratings but did not correlate with the interaction dynamics. Our findings have implications for the design of quadruped robots and contribute to the body of knowledge on the social perception of non-humanoid robots. We call for a stronger standing of felt experiences in human-robot interaction research.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_05400
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Safe Spot: Perceived safety of dominant and submissive appearances of quadruped robots in human-robot interactions
Hashimoto, Nanami
Hagens, Emma
Zgonnikov, Arkady
Lupetti, Maria Luce
Robotics
Unprecedented possibilities of quadruped robots have driven much research on the technical aspects of these robots. However, the social perception and acceptability of quadruped robots so far remain poorly understood. This work investigates whether the way we design quadruped robots' behaviors can affect people's perception of safety in interactions with these robots. We designed and tested a dominant and submissive personality for the quadruped robot (Boston Dynamics Spot). These were tested in two different walking scenarios (head-on and crossing interactions) in a 2x2 within-subjects study. We collected both behavioral data and subjective reports on participants' perception of the interaction. The results highlight that participants perceived the submissive robot as safer compared to the dominant one. The behavioral dynamics of interactions did not change depending on the robot's appearance. Participants' previous in-person experience with the robot was associated with lower subjective safety ratings but did not correlate with the interaction dynamics. Our findings have implications for the design of quadruped robots and contribute to the body of knowledge on the social perception of non-humanoid robots. We call for a stronger standing of felt experiences in human-robot interaction research.
title Safe Spot: Perceived safety of dominant and submissive appearances of quadruped robots in human-robot interactions
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.05400