Children, the Elderly, and Interactive Robots Anthropomorphism and Deception in Robot Care and Companionship

It is becoming easier to make robots that seem to understand us and even appear to be like us. There are humanoid robots that can walk, talk, and even shake your hand. There are robots that can recognize human emotional expressions and display emotional signals. There are robots that can recognize particular individuals. There are robot pets that respond to affection and that seem to need looking after. Considerable efforts are being directed toward the development of robots that people enjoy interacting with and want to spend time with. At the same time, developments in robotics are reaching the point where robot caregivers and companions for vulnerable members of society are becoming a real possibility [1], [2]. © 2006 IEEE.