Are robots our future coaches?

Abstract

The robots are coming in our daily live: companion robots, service robots, assistant robots, and so on. It is difficult to imagine their real roles in the future because user needs are different and there is no single model. Thus, it is important to put humans in touch with robots to understand what they may want. This paper describes an experimentation which measured acceptance and workload induced by a robot during a memory game. The purpose was to explore the robot added value in such a game with 67 persons comparing three conditions: playing with a tablet, a robot, or both a tablet and a robot. Results showed that robot was accepted in this game and that robot alone increased human's performance perception. It seemed to give them assurance. Thus results opened a surprising perspective: robots may intrinsically have a role of coach for humans.