Communications of the ACM
Robots May Need to Include Parental Controls
A recent study by Pennsylvania State University found older adults concerned that young people may eventually become too dependent on robots.
Credit: Daniel Schweinert/iStock
A recent Pennsylvania State University (PSU) study, part of an international research and development program between PSU and the Industrial Academy Cooperation Foundation of Sungkyunkwan University, found that older adults are worried that in the future young people may become too physically and emotionally dependent on robots.
Those surveyed also indicated that although they are not worried about being negatively affected by robots, the adults would still resist using the devices.
"We've seen this type of effect, which is usually referred to as a third-person effect, with different types of media, such as video games and television, but this is the first time we have seen the effect in robotics," says PSU researcher T. Franklin Waddell.
To compensate for this effect, developers may need to implement controls that will help adults monitor the use of robots by children. "Robot designers and developers look at older adults as a central user base for companion robots," Waddell notes. "This effect is something they should consider when designing the interface for the robots to make sure, for example, that the robot includes some type of parental controls."
The researchers presented their study at the recent ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Toronto.
From Penn State News
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