Characteristics of social robots: A framework for development

Social robots hold great promise for assisting both older adults with dementia and those in good health. Yet, little is known about how people want to interact with these robots. This article introduces a framework for the key features social robots should have, based on insights from a four-month study of how seniors engage with robots through conversation and interaction. We have broken these features down into principles of robot behavior, verbal communication, and nonverbal communication, while also considering factors that affect a person’s likelihood to adopt such technology. Our findings offer a starting point for refining social robots and invite further exploration into developing features that truly resonate with users.