Abstract
Even after long-term exposures, androids with a strikingly human-like appearance evoke unnatural feelings. The behavior that would induce human-like feelings after long exposures is difficult to determine, and it often depends on the cultural background of the observers. Therefore, in this study, we generate an acting performance system for the android, in which an android and a human interact in a stage play in the real world. We adopt the theatrical theory called Contemporary Colloquial Theatre Theory to give the android natural behaviors so that audiences can comfortably observe it even after long-minute exposure. A stage play is created and shown in various locations, and the audiences are requested to report their impressions of the stage and their cultural and psychological backgrounds in a self-evaluating questionnaire. Overall analysis indicates that the audience had positive feelings, in terms of attractiveness, towards the android on the stage even after 20 min of exposure. The singularly high acceptance of the android by Japanese audiences seems to be correlated with a high animism tendency, rather than to empathy. We also discuss how the stage play approach is limited and could be extended to contribute to realization of human–robot interaction in the real world.
Highlights
Humanoid robots with human body structures have been developed in recent years, and they are expected to emotionally engage with humans in the near future [1,2]
867 questionnaires were collected, but some were not considered because the participants experienced difficulty seeing the stage (108 cases) or hearing the voices of the actresses (244 cases), had a nationality that differed from that of the host country (292 cases), or the participants were under 15 years of age (54 cases)
As we based the acting performance of the android on Contemporary Colloquial Theatre Theory (CCTT), we expected that the human-like motions imparted to the android were more refined than those of previous humanoid robots
Summary
Humanoid robots with human body structures have been developed in recent years, and they are expected to emotionally engage with humans in the near future [1,2]. Humanoid robots can induce familiar feelings in humans because of their human-like appearance. Harmony between appearance and behavior of robots reduces the negative feeling in observers [7]. This consideration has led to some successfully implemented android behaviors that do not evoke the negative feeling [8,9]. A methodology for building an android robot that is perceived as a human-like entity after long-term exposure has yet to be established. To tackle this issue, we have started an activity called “Robot theatre project,” in which robots and humans act in a long-lasting stage production. The project integrates robot technology and knowledge with the art and entertainment arena [10]
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