Effect of Motion and Hand Shape of a Massage Robot on Social Impression: Exploratory study in a Virtual Environment

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the effects of motion pattern and hand shape on social impressions of a massage robot. The experiment was performed in a virtual environment as an exploratory study. Participants observed a massage robot touching their body, and answered the Robot Social Attributes Scale. There were two motion patterns (discontinuous and smooth) and three types of end effectors (ball, robot hand, and human hand). We found that the massage robot was perceived more competent, warmer, and more comfortable when it moved smoothly than when it moved discontinuously, and the impression of warmth was higher for the human hand than the ball end effector. These results suggest that the massage robot should move smoothly and it would be better if its end effector is like a human hand.