Understanding anthropomorphisation in social robotics

Abstract

This paper discusses different approaches to anthropomorphism in social robotics. While anthropomorphisation in robotics is often understood as the human tendency to perceive robots as humanlike in response to stimuli provided by machines, the authors argue that it is also an interpretative process which is highly subjective and limited in duration. To project human characteristics onto robots means to attribute qualities that robots do not have. Thus, in order to understand the nature of user engagement in human-robot interaction, it is of crucial importance to have a clear understanding of anthropomorphism in the field of social robotics.