Effects of anthropomorphic features of co-robots on users’ perception and emotional responses during human–robot collaboration

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Human–robot collaboration (HRC) is growing across sectors like manufacturing and healthcare. This study explores how anthropomorphic features, specifically robot appearance (human-like face, robot-like face and blank screen) and voice (human-like voice, robot-like voice and beeping sound), influence user perceptions and emotional responses. Subjective assessments included the Robotic Social Attributes Scale (RoSAS) and self-report, while physiological responses were measured using electrocardiogram (ECG), galvanic skin response (GSR) and eye-tracking. Results showed that robot-like faces and human-like voices were linked to more positive perceptions, while human-like faces and beeping sounds led to greater negative emotional responses. Physiologically, both beeping sound and human-like voices increased skin conductance, and human-like voices also raised heart rate variability (HRV), suggesting participants felt less stressed under human-like voice conditions. Eye-tracking data showed shorter blink durations with robot-like faces, indicating greater sustained attention. These findings highlight the importance of designing robot features to improve user experience and collaboration in HRC.