No One is an Island - Investigating the Need for Social Robots (and Researchers) to Handle Multi-Party Interactions in Public Spaces

Social robots are increasingly used in public spaces, but they still struggle to handle complex social dynamics and interactions with multiple users. This study assessed the interaction between visitors and a Furhat robot connected to an artificial intelligence (AI)-based dialogue system in an oceanographic museum. Our findings from a video analysis of 176 interactions highlight the importance of understanding social dynamics in social robotics research. At the same time, it suggests that social robots are still limited in their ability to handle multi-party interactions (MPI) and understand complex social dynamics. Those limitations are due, in part, to technical constraints, as well as the need for further research on the social and cultural factors that shape human-robot interactions.