Social RoboticsDriving Spot at a shopping centre made people more comfortable with robots
An RAI Institute pop-up study with about 1,000 drivers, presented at HRI 2026, found attitudes warmed after hands-on contact.
The RAI Institute ran a free robotics pop-up at a Cambridge, Massachusetts shopping centre where visitors could drive a Boston Dynamics Spot through home, hospital, factory and disaster scenarios. Around 1,000 drivers, from young children to people over 75, completed surveys before and after, and comfort with robots rose in every setting, with suitability ratings climbing most for homes, offices and hospitals. Interest in robots for play and entertainment also grew. The authors, writing in IEEE Spectrum, note the sample was self-selected and that it is unclear whether the shifts last, but the work suggests direct experience can soften public wariness of robots in everyday life.
Source: IEEE Spectrum
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