Would you hang out with R2-D2 if you got the chance? Seems like it could be pretty fun. In the Star Wars movies, droids appear to form meaningful friendships with people. In real life, however, robots can’t actually care about anyone or anything. At least, not yet. Today’s robots can’t feel emotions. They also have no self-awareness. But that doesn’t mean they can’t act friendly in ways that help and support people.
An entire field of research called human-robot interaction — or HRI for short — studies how people use and respond to robots. Many HRI researchers are working to make friendlier, more trustworthy machines. Some hope true robot friendships may one day prove possible.
“That’s totally what my aim is,” says Alexis E. Block. And, she adds, “I think we’re on the right track. But there’s a lot more work to do.” Block is a roboticist who built a machine that gives hugs. She is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles and the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart, Germany.
Other researchers are more skeptical about using the word “friend” for machines. “I think humans need other humans,” says Catie Cuan. “Curiosity about robots can create a kind of closeness. But I’d never categorize that as friendship.” Cuan studies robotics at Stanford University in California. She is also a dancer and choreographer. As one of the first researchers to combine these fields, she works on making robot movements easier for people to understand and accept.
Bots today aren’t yet true friends, like R2-D2. But some are helpful assistants or engaging teaching tools. Others are attentive companions or delightful pet-like toys. Researchers are working hard to make them ever better at these roles. The results are becoming more and more friend-like. Let’s meet a few.
Electronic companions
There are too many social and companion robots to list them all — new ones come out all the time. Consider…
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