Interpretative Dynamics in Human Robot Interaction

Current technologies often tend to emphasise utilitarian versions of work, entertainment, and consumer activity by embodying a representation of the privileged activities they support and the values predefined by the designer. Social robots offer an extraordinary opportunity to design technologies with open-ended possibilities for interaction and engagement with humans. In the paper, we present the results of a case study conducted in a nursing home with elderly people interacting with the seal robot Paro. The results of the study show that the robot actively supports our natural disposition to attribute intentional states to inanimate or artificial objects. In addition interesting interpretative dynamics developing in human robot interaction emerged in the study: mental compromised subjects alternate their assessment of the robot from an inanimate object to an agent, depending on the severity of their disease. However, the observation shows that also subjects talking about the robot as an inanimate object, continue to be emotionally and intellectually involved in the experience. In this respect, agentivity does not seem to be a key factor in assuring a pleasurable and intriguing interaction experience.