While we’re still far from interacting with robots regularly in our social spaces, robotics research is inching us closer and closer to that reality. We are constantly coming up with new ways to make machines more applicable and approachable.
According to a new paper published in PLOS ONE, researchers have studied the traits that people perceive as most important for fostering social bonds, and specifically for fostering social bonds with their dogs, all in an attempt to build more relatable robots.
Researchers identified seven specific attributes and behaviors (including our furry friends’ affinity for play and for invading our space). And their results could strengthen our relationships to robots someday in the future.
According to roboticists, social robots are machines that act as "peers or companions," interacting with people and responding to their actions according to the appropriate societal standards. These abilities, researchers say, make social robots an apt tool ...
