Robots in Diverse Contexts

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine people's expectations and preferences for a robot's personality based on the tasks the robot is performing. We conducted an interview followed by a survey. In the semi-structured interview, we classified four categories of tasks expected to be completed by robots: social, office, service, and physical. Based on these results, we conducted a survey of 381 participants to examine which types of personality people expect robots to display depending on the task the robot performs. Depending on the tasks, the personalities of extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness showed significantly different values. The results imply that robots? personal traits need to be designed differently based on different task types. With our study's results, robot designers can better develop the social and emotional aspects of robots. Such improvements would result in better communication between users and robots, and in the users? perceptions of their needs being satisfied.