{"id":678749,"date":"2025-07-05T20:50:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T17:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/playing-games-with-robots-makes-people-see-them-as-more-humanlike\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T20:50:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T17:50:21","slug":"playing-games-with-robots-makes-people-see-them-as-more-humanlike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/playing-games-with-robots-makes-people-see-them-as-more-humanlike\/","title":{"rendered":"Playing games with robots makes people see them as more humanlike"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n \"How
\n Cozmo, a small interactive robot with a vivid, expressive personality. Credit: University of East Anglia
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The more we interact with robots, the more human we perceive them to become\u2014according to new research from the University of East Anglia, published<\/a> in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance<\/i>.<\/p>\n

It may sound like a scene from Blade Runner, but psychologists have been investigating exactly what makes robot interactions feel more human.<\/p>\n

The paper reveals that playing game<\/a>s with robots to “break the ice” can help bring out their human side.<\/p>\n

The research team say that the implications are significant for the future of robotics.<\/p>\n

As robots take on roles from care-giving to customer service, designing interactions that promote social<\/a> engagement could make them more acceptable to humans.<\/p>\n

Lead researcher Dr. Natalie Wyer, from UEA’s School of Psychology, said, “Robots and AI are fast becoming fixtures in homes, hospitals, and workplaces.<\/p>\n

“We wanted to better understand whether people can interact with robots in the same way as they would with other humans. And whether we could ever come to see them as more than just pieces of metal, computer chips, and wires.”<\/p>\n

The research team set up a series<\/a> of experiments with a box-shaped robot called Cozmo.<\/p>\n

More than 100 participants interacted with Cozmo\u2014with half of the study group encouraged to play a social game with it first.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Cozmo can show emotions like happ<\/a>iness, sadness, frustration, and curiosity. It moves on tank-like treads and has a small articulating lift arm. Credit: Liv Shipley, University of East Anglia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The team found that the participants who had previously played a game with Cozmo went on to consider the robot as more humanlike.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By contrast, those who interacted with the robot purely mechanically did not.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Cozmo can show emotions like happiness, sadness, frustration, and curiosity. It moves on tank-like treads and has a small articulating lift arm. Credit: Liv Shipley, University of East Anglia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Wyer said, “We found that when people interact socially with a robot, they begin to perceive its actions more like they would those of a human.<\/p>\n

“One key aspect of this is that while people are general<\/a>ly accurate at judging the timing of events, they make systematic errors when those events are triggered by human action.<\/p>\n

“We found that participants made the same types of errors in relation to Cozmo’s actions\u2014but only if they’d first played a game that made Cozmo seem like it was ‘thinking’ independently.<\/p>\n

“This suggests that context matters. Even our non-humanoid robot Cozmo could be perceived as more humanlike and less like a machine or tool after the participants had played a game with it.<\/p>\n

“Our study sheds light on a subtle but powerful factor in human-robot relations\u2014the ability to think of them as capable of independent action. Without that, even the most advanced robots may be seen as little more than machines.”<\/p>\n

As robots increasingly enter our shared spaces, this research underscores a key takeaway\u2014if we want to coexist with robots as collaborators, we may need to play with them first.<\/p>\n

\n

More information:<\/strong>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLuca Pascolini et al, Observed nonhumanoid robot actions induce vicarious agency when perceived as social actors, not as objects., Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance<\/i> (2025). DOI: 10.1037\/xhp0001351<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n Provided by
\n University of East Anglia
\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\n Citation<\/strong>:
\n Playing games with robots makes people see them as more humanlike (2025, July 4)
\n retrieved 5 July 2025
\n from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news<\/a>\/2025-07-playing-games-robots-people-humanlike.html\n <\/p>\n

\n This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
\n part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n