He who hesitates is lost (...in thoughts over a robot)

Abstract

In a team, the strong bonds that can form between teammates are often seen as critical for reaching peak performance. This perspective may need to be reconsidered, however, if some team members are autonomous robots since establishing bonds with fundamentally inanimate and expendable objects may prove counterproductive. Previous work has measured empathic responses towards robots as singular events at the conclusion of experimental sessions. As relationships extend over long periods of time, sustained empathic behavior towards robots would be of interest. In order to measure user actions that may vary over time and are affected by empathy towards a robot teammate, we created the TEAMMATE simulation system. Our findings suggest that inducing empathy through a back story narrative can significantly change participant decisions in actions that may have consequences for a robot companion over time. The results of our study can have strong implications for the overall performance of human machine teams.