Lockdown loneliness has 'made humans more open to buying a social robot' that simulates friendship

A pandemic isolation study found people were increasingly interested in owning a machine as a companion 
Engineered Arts prosthetics expert Mike Humphrey checks on Fred, a recently completed humanoid robot
Getty Images

Humans are more open-minded about making simulated friendships with robots amid social isolation fuelled by Covid-19, research has suggested.

Scientists found the lonelier people became while locked down during the pandemic, the more agreeable they became to having machines as home companions.

Technological advances have seen more companion robots being marketed, from Samsung’s simple rolling ball to big-eyed Buddy “emotional artificial intelligence” wheeled droids and increasingly lifelike humanoids covered in fake skin.

The preprint study, by robotics engineers at Canada’s University of Waterloo, found people’s “perception” of having machine companions around the home to simulate friendship changed as their feelings of isolation and stress increased during the quarantine.

Boris Johnson meets humanoid robot Wabian-2 at Waseda University in Tokyo
AFP/Getty Images

Previously, companion robots had been promoted as social friends for elderly people, or to help soothe dementia, but now it has been suggested that wider age groups are open to buying a droid for friendship.

About 100 study participants controlled for age and gender were recruited via an online work marketplace.

Researchers found the pandemic increased participants’ willingness to have a machine companion “where direct human behaviour is prohibited”, with no masks needed or worries about infection risk.

Israeli scientists tested the effectiveness of therapy robot seal Paro for soothing pain
Shelly Levy-Tzedek / Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Other attributes people said they wanted in their plastic and metal friend were “recognising you” and being able “to show emotions”.

A robot “not requiring any maintenance” was preferred by study participants, who said they wanted it programmed for mainly "chitchat", playing music and task reminders, while dancing was the least preferred activity.

Participants also said they did “not necessarily require” the robot to show “an advanced level of rational behaviour”.

Research assistant professor Moojan Ghafurian says robots can help "simulate" a social companion
Moojan Ghafurian

The study says: “Experiencing a change in lifestyle as a result of the pandemic…led to a change in the perception of benefits of companion robots.”

Lead author Moojan Ghafurian, research assistant professor at the University of Waterloo’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, told the Standard: “Human contact should always be encouraged and be the first priority.

“However, there are situations where human contact is not possible, for example during a pandemic like Covid-19, or for those who are socially isolated, such as older adults who live alone.

“In these situations, social robots can help simulate the existence of a social companion, on some levels, for those who are deprived of actual human contact or attention.”

Dr Tara Swart, a London neuroscientist, said over time robots might induce the same “bonding hormone" in some people's brains as flesh-and-blood loved-ones.

She said: “Human-to-human interaction is vital to our survival but robot companions are a viable alternative where loneliness may be the only other option.

“Loneliness is up there with being sedentary, or smoking, in terms of cardiac risk factors and impacting longevity."

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