TY  - JOUR
A1  - Zhou, Yuefang
A1  - Kornher, Tristan
A1  - Mohnke, Janett
A1  - Fischer, Martin H.
T1  - Tactile interaction with a humanoid robot
BT  - effects on physiology and subjective impressions
JF  - International journal of social robotics
N2  - This study investigated how touching and being touched by a humanoid robot affects human physiology, impressions of the interaction, and attitudes towards humanoid robots. 21 healthy adult participants completed a 3 (touch style: touching, being touched, pointing) x 2 (body part: hand vs buttock) within-subject design using a Pepper robot. Skin conductance response (SCR) was measured during each interaction. Perceived impressions of the interaction (i.e., friendliness, comfort, arousal) were measured per questionnaire after each interaction. Participants' demographics and their attitude towards robots were also considered. We found shorter SCR rise times in the being touched compared to the touching condition, possibly reflecting psychological alertness to the unpredictability of robot-initiated contacts. The hand condition had shorter rise times than the buttock condition. Most participants evaluated the hand condition as most friendly and comfortable and the robot-initiated interactions as most arousing. Interacting with Pepper improved attitudes towards robots. Our findings require future studies with larger samples and improved procedures. They have implications for robot design in all domains involving tactile interactions, such as caring and intimacy.
KW  - Human– robot tactile interaction
KW  - Skin conductance
KW  - Buttocks
KW  - Robot Pepper
KW  - Human– robot intimate relationships
Y1  - 2021
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-021-00749-x
SN  - 1875-4791
SN  - 1875-4805
VL  - 13
IS  - 7
SP  - 1657
EP  - 1677
PB  - Springer
CY  - Dordrecht
ER  -