Differences in the Optimal Motion of Android Robots for the Ease of Communications Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Bibliographic Data

ID15518404
AuthorsHirokazu Kumazaki (0000-0002-2567-0276, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, corresponding author), Taro Muramatsu (0000-0003-4066-7865, Keio University), Yuichiro Yoshikawa (0000-0002-3484-0361, The University of Osaka), Yoshio Matsumoto (0000-0001-7325-9580, Kanazawa University), Masaki Kuwata (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology), Keiji Takata (National Institute of Mental Health), Hiroshi Ishiguro (0000-0002-0805-7648, The University of Osaka), Masaru Mimura (0000-0002-3874-5273, Keio University)
Year2022
Volume13
Pages883371-883371
Publication date2022-06-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2022.883371
PMID35722543
OpenAlexW4281627251
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited35

Android robots are employed in various fields. Many individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have the motivation and aptitude for using such robots. Interactions with these robots are structured to resemble social situations in which certain social behaviors can occur and to simulate daily life. Considering that individuals with ASD have strong likes and dislikes, ensuring not only the optimal appearance but also the optimal motion of robots is important to achieve smooth interaction and to draw out the potential of robotic interventions. We investigated whether individuals with ASD found it easier to talk to an android robot with little motion (i.e., only opening and closing its mouth during speech) or an android robot with much motion (i.e., in addition to opening and closing its mouth during speech, moving its eyes from side to side and up and down, blinking, deeply breathing, and turning or moving its head or body at random). This was a crossover study in which a total of 25 participants with ASD experienced mock interviews conducted by an android robot with much spontaneous facial and bodily motion and an android robot with little motion. We compared demographic data between participants who answered that the android robot with much motion was easier to talk to than android robot with little motion and those who answered the opposite. In addition, we investigated how each type of demographic data was related to participants' feeling of comfort in an interview setting with an android robot. Fourteen participants indicated that the android robot with little motion was easier to talk to than the robot with much motion, whereas 11 participants answered the opposite. There were significant differences between these two groups in the sensory sensitivity score, which reflects the tendency to show a low neurological threshold. In addition, we found correlations between the sensation seeking score, which reflects the tendency to show a high neurological threshold, and self-report ratings of comfort in each condition. These results provide preliminary support for the importance of setting the motion of an android robot considering the sensory traits of ASD

Android (operating system · Feeling · Human–computer interaction · Humanoid robot · Robot · Simulation · Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Computer Science · Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders · Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence

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