Friendly Robots are Convincing Robots - the Science

There's a substantial demand for trustworthy robots since no-one trusts humans or at least none of the ones pretending to be human in Washington.  Researchers have found people are much more likely to believe a robot if it presents a cheerful demeanor.  (Science Daily:  Trust issues: Users more gullible when they customize their technology)

In a study of robot use in a retirement home, senior citizens were more likely to consider an assistant robot as socially attractive and intelligent when they thought its demeanor was cheery, according to S. Shyam Sundar, Distinguished Professor of Communications and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, Penn State.  However, the seniors were more willing to accept robots labeled as companions if the machine had a more serious demeanor.

- SD

This article follows the theme yesterday of cars which want to be your friend.  (Ithaka:  Scientific American Talks About Your Car As Your Friend)


That initial review is mixed, however, since being considered cheery and intelligent really doesn't mean much if the person still would prefer to hang about with a different robo (i.e. the serious one).

And then it got weird ...

"We were actually surprised to find out that they wanted companion robots to be serious and assistant robots to be playful," said Sundar. "But it''s pretty clear from our data that a serious demeanor adds credibility to a companion robot, whereas a playful demeanor softens the tension when interacting with an assistant robot."

- SD

When anyone uses 'pretty' and it has nothing to do with something's relative beauty, you know you're dealing with suburbia ... pretty much.


This just keeps getting uglier too.

Assistant robots are designed to help people with everyday tasks, such as dispense dispensing medications, whereas companion robots are designed to support people emotionally, serving as friends or pets, according to the researchers, who report their findings in the current issue of the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies.

Knowing how people might react to a robot's demeanor and role could help designers make robots that people are more likely to accept and use, according to Sundar.

- SD

Most likely you're already there and know the long-term objective.  Yep, let's automate nursing homes so people don't have to waste time on those old fuckers anymore.

The researchers recruited 51 senior citizens at a central Pennsylvania retirement home. The participants were assigned to one of four conditions -- -- playful assistant robot, serious assistant robot, playful companion robot and serious companion robot.

- SD

There's no actualization in this, only more evidence of the towering fear of death in America and this is just another attempt to escape, ignore, or whitewash what happens with age.  Automation of nursing homes in this way is just about as technologically-obsessive as snowflakes get in trying to fix problems they don't understand.

Mystery Lady knows first-hand about working nursing homes and she has seen the abysmal care old people often suffer in them.  The nursing aides who are frequently attendants to old people are almost invariably savagely underpaid and only a few retain any sense of caring when the workers are abused in a way similar to the patients.

Following those experiences, Mystery Lady started working in a day care for old people and this may sound too, too trendy but it's a highly-effective way of giving relief to caregivers who, in the case of Alzheimer's, give years of their lives without respite to help the one who has gone down.  The day care allows temporary caregivers to give them a break so they can come back to it at least to some extent refreshed.

ML, I'm pleased to report there's a geriatric day-care center not far from here.

Mystery Lady knows about a cheery manner around old people and she found a wonderful icebreaker in Molly the Dog.  She was a lovely, highly-biddable creature and the old people adored her.  ML's approach much like the researchers suggest with their robos insofar as the old people looked to Molly the Dog for fun and amusement but they looked to the more serious Mystery Lady for support.

There are people caregivers call 'Sundowners' and these ones usually have advanced Alzheimer's.  Right about Sundown each day, they get restless because they want to go home even when they may not really know where it is anymore.  They may get more than restless and go walkabout so the staff panics trying to find them.

Will you send a cheery robo dog, a serious android, or someone possessed of real human sensitivity to fetch the Sundowner back.  If the answer is anyone but a human, we don't want your nursing home no matter how cheery your robo dogs may be.  Mystery Lady understands implicitly about human sensitivity and she doesn't need a cheery robo dog since she has Joy, a real one.  She knows from first-hand experience how well that combination works.