Abstract
Environmental psychology aims to study human behavior with regard to the environment and how psychological techniques can be used to motivate behavior change. We argue that these concepts can be applied to interactive robots designed for other tasks, which then enables them to encourage sustainability behaviors in humans. We first present a literature review on the current state of social robots that are used to encourage sustainable behaviors. We next present eight hypothetical scenarios which are informed by the progress that has already been made in social robots in sustainability, as well as notable gaps where further environmental psychological concepts could be utilized. These scenarios encompass possible robots that range from limited sensing and no manipulation capabilities, to more sophisticated sensing and no manipulation, to sophisticated sensing and manipulation capabilities. We present these scenarios in which human–robot interaction could potentially result in pro-environmental behavioral changes in humans as recommendations for robot designers interested in helping design social robots for sustainability.
Highlights
Sustainability has become an increasingly urgent societal challenge that must be addressed as quickly and efficiently as possible
We describe which environmental psychology principles are at play in each scenario, how the robot involved can be connected to the broader field of human–robot interaction (HRI), what other similar potential applications and iterations these robots might have, and what potential limitations stand in the way of implementing this robot
We presented the idea that interactive robots that can sense and manipulate the world combined with the utilization of social influence factors derived from environmental psychology can be a powerful method for designing robots that can encourage sustainable behaviors and patterns in people
Summary
Sustainability has become an increasingly urgent societal challenge that must be addressed as quickly and efficiently as possible (e.g., see [1]). The potential of autonomous robots to contribute to sustainability does not stop with autonomous machines operating independently from humans. Given that most sustainability efforts involve changing human awareness and human behavior, robots, in particular, social robots, that are able to interact with humans can be utilized to encourage more sustainable behavior in people. Social robots have been shown to be able to exert social influence on humans [9,10], and various efforts have focused on how to utilize this influence for good, e.g., by using robots to promote positive behaviors, such as empathy in people [11], establishing healthy habits [12], and donating to charity [13]
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