Effect of Voice Type and Head-Light Color in Social Robots for Different Applications

The Effects of Anthropomorphism, Message Framing, and Voice Type on Unhealthy Sleep Behavior in Young Users: The Mediating Role of Risk Perception

Insufficient sleep is a severe social public health problem that can adversely affect the physical and mental health of young people. This study examined risk perceptions for unhealthy sleep behaviors and intentions for healthy sleep behaviors under different combinations of anthropomorphism, message framing, and voice type in cartoons. We used a three-factor between-subject experiment of two (anthropomorphism: anthropomorphic vs. non-anthropomorphic) × two (message framing: positive frame vs. negative frame) × two (voice type: cartoon child voice vs. adult female voice) design. We examined the effects of different audiovisual combinations of cartoon attitude, risk perception, and behavioral intention and the mediating role of risk perception. The research results show that (1) the integration of anthropomorphic design elements can positively impact users’ attitudes toward cartoons; (2) when the interface information is presented in a negative frame, anthropomorphism can more positively influence users’ attitudes toward cartoons than non-anthropomorphism; and (3) anthropomorphism, message framing, and voice type in cartoons significantly interact with risk perception. In addition, risk perception mediates the influence of anthropomorphism, message framing, and voice type on behavioral intention.

Designing Gestures of Robots in Specific Fields for Different Perceived Personality Traits

Since their development, social robots have been a popular topic of research, with numerous studies evaluating their functionality or task performance. In recent years, social robots have begun to be regarded as social actors at work, and their social attributes have been explored. Therefore, this study focused on four occupational fields (shopping reception, home companion, education, and security) where robots are widely used, exploring the influence of robot gestures on their perceived personality traits and comparing the gesture design guidelines required in specific occupational fields. The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, an interactive script was developed; moreover, observation was employed to derive gestures related to the discourse on the fields of interest. The second stage involved robot experimentation based on human–robot interaction through video. Results show that metaphoric gestures appeared less frequently than did deictic, iconic, or beat gestures. Robots’ perceived personality traits were categorized into sociality, competence, and status. Introducing all types of gestures helped enhance perceived sociality. The addition of deictic, and iconic gestures significantly improved perceived competence and perceived status. Regarding the shopping reception robot, after the inclusion of basic deictic and iconic gestures, sufficient beats gestures should be implemented to create a friendly and outgoing demeanor, thereby promoting user acceptance. In the home companion, education, and security contexts, the addition of beat gestures did not affect the overall acceptance level; the designs should instead be focused on the integration of the other gesture types.