Gender Effects in Observation of Robotic and Humanoid Actions

30th April 2020

Miriam Abel, Sinem Kuz, Harshal J. Patel, Henning Petruck, Christopher M. Schlick, Antonello Pellicano and Ferdinand C. Binkofski

We live in a world where robots are increasingly becoming the norm in many day-to-day settings and working environments. While safety remains the number one consideration when using robots, a high level of acceptance is required for co-working to function well.

Focusing on gender differences, this study investigates the differences in the perception of anthropomorphic and robotic movements using models consisting of a virtual robot and a digital human. Videos of each model showed varying degrees of human likeness or robot likeness in speed and trajectories of placing movements. Female and male participants were asked to rate the perceived levels of human likeness or robot likeness in the two models.

Overall, the results suggest that males were sensitive to the differences between robotic and anthropomorphic movements, whereas females showed no difference between them. However, compared to males, female participants attributed more anthropomorphic features to robotic movements.

The study represents the first step towards a more comprehensive understanding of the human ability to differentiate between anthropomorphic and robotic movements and suggests that gender may play a crucial role in the perception of human-robot interaction.

Original publication:
Gender Effects in Observation of Robotic and Humanoid Actions