A social informatics approach to human-robot interaction with a service social robot

The development of an autonomous social robot, Cherry, is occurring in tandem with studies gaining potential user preferences, likes, dislikes, and perceptions of her features. Thus far, results have indicated that individuals 1) believe that service robots with emotion and personality capabilities would make them more acceptable in everyday roles in human life, 2) prefer that robots communicate via both human-like facial expressions, voice, and text-based media, 3) become more positive about the idea of service and social robots after exposure to the technology, and 4) find the appearance and facial features of Cherry pleasing. The results of these studies provide the basis for future research efforts, which are discussed.