The effects of robot touch and proactive behaviour on perceptions of human-robot interactions

Despite robots´ embodiment, the effect of physical contact or touch and its interaction with robots´ autonomous behaviour has been a mostly overlooked aspect of human-robot interaction. This video-based, 2×2 between-subject survey experiment (N=119) found that touch and proactiveness interacted in their effects on perceived machine-likeness and dependability. Attitude towards robots in general also interacted with the effects of touch. Results show the value of further exploring the combination of physical aspects of human-robot interaction and proactiveness.