It was Tragic: Exploring the Impact of a Robot's Shutdown

Abstract

People often perceive robots as social entities, even when not designed for social interaction. This study explores how robot shut-down gestures influence human interpretation. Participants interacted briefly with a robotic arm before being asked to turn it off under two conditions. (1) a Non-designed condition, with an abrupt engine shutdown; and (2) a Designed condition, where the robot folded inward as if “falling asleep.” All participants anthropomorphized the robot’s behavior. In the Non-designed condition, the movement was perceived negatively, often as the robot “dying.” In contrast, the Designed condition was interpreted more neutrally, as the robot “going to sleep.” The latter also led to higher ratings of likeability, intelligence, and animacy. These results highlight the importance of designing even peripheral robot behaviors, like power-down motions, to align with human social perception.