Soothing Sensations: Enhancing Interactions with a Socially Assistive Robot through Vibrotactile Heartbeats

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Borgstedt, Jacqueline, Macdonald, Shaun, Marky, Karola, Pollick, Frank E., Brewster, Stephen A.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866917800017133568
author Borgstedt, Jacqueline
Macdonald, Shaun
Marky, Karola
Pollick, Frank E.
Brewster, Stephen A.
author_facet Borgstedt, Jacqueline
Macdonald, Shaun
Marky, Karola
Pollick, Frank E.
Brewster, Stephen A.
contents Physical interactions with socially assistive robots (SARs) positively affect user wellbeing. However, haptic experiences when touching a SAR are typically limited to perceiving the robot's movements or shell texture, while other modalities that could enhance the touch experience with the robot, such as vibrotactile stimulation, are under-explored. In this exploratory qualitative study, we investigate the potential of enhancing human interaction with the PARO robot through vibrotactile heartbeats, with the goal to regulate subjective wellbeing during stressful situations. We conducted in-depth one-on-one interviews with 30 participants, who watched three horror movie clips alone, with PARO, and with a PARO that displayed a vibrotactile heartbeat. Our findings show that PARO's presence and its interactive capabilities can help users regulate emotions through attentional redeployment from a stressor toward the robot. The vibrotactile heartbeat further reinforced PARO's physical and social presence, enhancing the socio-emotional support provided by the robot and its perceived life-likeness. We discuss the impact of individual differences in user experience and implications for the future design of life-like vibrotactile stimulation for SARs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_07892
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Soothing Sensations: Enhancing Interactions with a Socially Assistive Robot through Vibrotactile Heartbeats
Borgstedt, Jacqueline
Macdonald, Shaun
Marky, Karola
Pollick, Frank E.
Brewster, Stephen A.
Human-Computer Interaction
Robotics
Physical interactions with socially assistive robots (SARs) positively affect user wellbeing. However, haptic experiences when touching a SAR are typically limited to perceiving the robot's movements or shell texture, while other modalities that could enhance the touch experience with the robot, such as vibrotactile stimulation, are under-explored. In this exploratory qualitative study, we investigate the potential of enhancing human interaction with the PARO robot through vibrotactile heartbeats, with the goal to regulate subjective wellbeing during stressful situations. We conducted in-depth one-on-one interviews with 30 participants, who watched three horror movie clips alone, with PARO, and with a PARO that displayed a vibrotactile heartbeat. Our findings show that PARO's presence and its interactive capabilities can help users regulate emotions through attentional redeployment from a stressor toward the robot. The vibrotactile heartbeat further reinforced PARO's physical and social presence, enhancing the socio-emotional support provided by the robot and its perceived life-likeness. We discuss the impact of individual differences in user experience and implications for the future design of life-like vibrotactile stimulation for SARs.
title Soothing Sensations: Enhancing Interactions with a Socially Assistive Robot through Vibrotactile Heartbeats
topic Human-Computer Interaction
Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.07892