The assignment of gender to robots is a debatable topic. Subtle aspects related to gender, in a robot’s appearance, may create biased expectations of the robot’s abilities and influence user acceptance. The present research is a cross-cultural study involving more than 150 participants to investigate the perception of gender in robot design by manipulating body proportions. We are focusing specifically on the contrast between two extremely different cultures: Peruvian and Japanese. From the survey based on stimuli varying in the proportion between chest, waist, and hips, the results indicate the importance of chest-to-hip ratio and waist-to-hip ratio in the attribution of gender to robots.

In the design of robots that have to share spaces with humans, design plays an important role in the acceptance, and sound is one further aspect that should not be neglected, in order to facilitate interaction and minimise repulsion. Following a previous research in which an uncomfortable noise from a robot was identified, we present an interaction study in which the same noise was tested in order to measure the effect on proxemics, as opposed to a silent condition and to a different version of the sound, masked with ambient music. The results obtained with the participation of 60 subjects show the effectiveness of the mask in avoiding the negative effect of the noise.

In this paper we present the design, development and preliminary tests of Robotman, a robot that combines qualities for interaction with humans, and security patrolling services. The robot is inspired by the information obtained from a security company in which their personnel not only perform security patrolling services, but have to interact with people, providing additional information about the area they safeguard. The robot is able to perform security patrols during the night while functioning as a guide during the day. We designed and implemented a robust, easy to assemble, anthropomorphic security robot aiming to patrol large indoor areas, interact with humans, welcome, provide information and guide clients to their destination, as well as function as a telepresence platform for the human security guards. Our results suggest that Robotman is user friendly and pleasing to the people, it can perform security tasks and interact with them.

In recent years, social assistive robots have gained significant acceptance in healthcare settings, particularly for tasks such as patient care and monitoring. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the expressive humanoid robot, Qhali, with a focus on its industrial design, essential components, and validation in a controlled environment. The industrial design phase encompasses research, ideation, design, manufacturing, and implementation. Subsequently, the mechatronic system is detailed, covering sensing, actuation, control, energy, and software interface. Qhali’s capabilities include autonomous execution of routines for mental health promotion and psychological testing. The software platform enables therapist-directed interventions, allowing the robot to convey emotional gestures through joint and head movements and simulate various facial expressions for more engaging interactions. Finally, with the robot fully operational, an initial behavioral experiment was conducted to validate Qhali’s capability to deliver telepsychological interventions. The findings from this preliminary study indicate that participants reported enhancements in their emotional well-being, along with positive outcomes in their perception of the psychological intervention conducted with the humanoid robot.