Touching the sensitive part of the robot can stimulate people

People can undergo physiological agitation when touching the sensitive parts of the robot, similar to touching another person.

In an experiment, the team at Stanford University, USA, asked participants to touch 13 body parts of a small robot shaped like a human. They examined the volunteers' responses and noted different responses depending on the body parts involved.

Volunteers responded to instructions on touching sensitive positions on robo t with hesitation and sexual agitation, according to the International Business Times.

Experimental methods and results are presented by the research team at the 66th Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association in Fukuoka, Japan. Scientists explained how they used the NAO humanoid robot of Aldebaran Robotics to provide a series of instructions for volunteers. Each volunteer conducted 26 test rounds, in which they followed the request to touch a robot body area. After that, volunteers were taught the scientific name to describe that particular department.

The act of touching sensitive parts in robots can stimulate human physiology.(Photo: iStock).

Scientists measure the time of each volunteer's skin reaction and electrophoresis, thereby calculating the level of physiological stimulation , a change in stimulus-induced changes in the body.

When volunteers made a request to touch a more sensitive and hard-to-reach body part like a butt, the team observed an increase in electrocardiographic reaction. This is a sign that the level of physiological stimulation is higher.

The time delay before following the instructions given by robots is also longer, showing that volunteers are more hesitant and afraid to touch the sensitive part of humanoid robots.

Touching is often seen as a "glue" , a meaningful interaction that contributes to building relationships and trust. While many studies have been developed to understand how humans perceive robots, very few have focused on the effects of human interaction and humanoid robot interaction. According to the team, our reaction to touching robots has many similarities as human contact, allowing designers the best way for humanoid robots to interact with us.

"Our research shows that robots are a particularly useful form of new medium . It also shows that people react to robots in the original way. Social conventions involve touching private parts. A person's study is also true for robot parts, and this study has implications for both robot design and artificial system theory , " said study co-author Jamy Li.