Researchers at the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom, claim that wellness sessions for mental health treatments conducted with robots in a workplace can be more effective if the equipment is designed more pleasantly.
The team deployed two robots with identical voices, training materials and facial expressions, but test subjects felt more connected and comfortable with the toy robot rather than the one with “humanoid” features.
The scientists believe that because the toy-like robot appears to be simpler, participants may have lower expectations compared to what they’ve seen in popular culture, and therefore found this robot easier to talk to and engage with.
The survey, conducted over a four-week period, deployed the humanoid social robot QTrobot V2, which was developed for studies involving human-AI interactions, and Misty II, which is considered the most adorable robot in the world.
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According to the survey, those who worked with the Misty was able to establish better connections than those who engaged with the humanoid QTrobot V2. Both robots were programmed to have the same personality.
The use of robots and AI in the field of mental health has spurred significant research and some promising results have emerged in recent years. Now, the team in this study wants to go deeper into the topic to create a robot aimed at mental health treatments.
And you, do you believe that robots can be useful in mental health treatments? Tell us in the comments down below!