Classification of Robot Form: Factors Predicting Perceived Trustworthiness

Abstract

Many factors influence perceived usability of robots, including attributes of the human user, the environment, and the robot itself. Traditionally, the primary focus of research has been on performance-based characteristics of the robot for the purposes of classification, design, and understanding human-robot trust. In this work, we examine the human perceptions of the aesthetic dimensions of a variety of robot domains to gain insight into the impact of physical form on perceived trustworthiness that occurs prior to human-robot interaction. Results show that the physical form does matter when predicting initial trustworthiness of a robot, primarily through the perceived intelligence and classification of the robot.