Selecting the right robot: Influence of user attitude, robot sociability and embodiment on user preferences

Selecting the suitable form of a robot, i.e. physical or virtual, for a task is not straightforward. The choice for a physical robot is not self-evident when the task is not physical but entirely social in nature. Results from previous studies comparing robots with different body types are found to be inconclusive. We performed a user study to provide a more sound comparison between a virtual and physical robot operating in a social setting. Besides body type, we manipulated the sociability of the robot. Our results show that 1) user preferences indicate that robot sociability is more important than body type for selecting a robot in a non-physical social setting, and 2) the user's attitude towards robots is an important moderating factor influencing robot preference.