Public Evaluation on Potential Social Impacts of Fully Autonomous Cybernetic Avatars for Physical Support in Daily-Life Environments: Large-Scale Demonstration and Survey at Avatar Land

Abstract

Cybernetic avatars (CAs) are key components of an avatar-symbiotic society, enabling individuals to overcome physical limitations through virtual agents and robotic assistants. While semi-autonomous CAs intermittently require human teleoperation and supervision, the deployment of fully autonomous CAs remains a challenge. This study evaluates public perception and potential social impacts of fully autonomous CAs for physical support in daily life. To this end, we conducted a large-scale demonstration and survey during Avatar Land, a 19-day public event in Osaka, Japan, where fully autonomous robotic CAs, alongside semi-autonomous CAs, performed daily object retrieval tasks. Specifically, we analyzed responses from 2,285 visitors who engaged with various CAs, including a subset of 333 participants who interacted with fully autonomous CAs and shared their perceptions and concerns through a survey questionnaire. The survey results indicate interest in CAs for physical support in daily life and at work. However, concerns were raised regarding task execution reliability. In contrast, cost and human-like interaction were not dominant concerns. Project page: https://lotfielhafi.github.io/FACA-Survey/.