Human Perception of the Emotional Expressions of Humanoid Robot Body Movements: Evidence from Survey and Eye-Tracking Measurements

The emotional expression of body movement, which is an aspect of emotional communication between humans, has not been considered enough in the field of human–robot interactions (HRIs). This paper explores human perceptions of the emotional expressions of humanoid robot body movements to study the em...

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Main Authors: Wa Gao, Shiyi Shen, Yang Ji, Yuan Tian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Biomimetics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/11/684
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author Wa Gao
Shiyi Shen
Yang Ji
Yuan Tian
author_facet Wa Gao
Shiyi Shen
Yang Ji
Yuan Tian
author_sort Wa Gao
collection DOAJ
description The emotional expression of body movement, which is an aspect of emotional communication between humans, has not been considered enough in the field of human–robot interactions (HRIs). This paper explores human perceptions of the emotional expressions of humanoid robot body movements to study the emotional design of the bodily expressions of robots and the characteristics of the human perception of these emotional body movements. Six categories of emotional behaviors, including happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, fear, and disgust, were designed by imitating human emotional body movements, and they were implemented on a Yanshee robot. A total of 135 participants were recruited for questionnaires and eye-tracking measurements. Statistical methods, including K-means clustering, repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA), Friedman’s ANOVA, and Spearman’s correlation test, were used to analyze the data. According to the statistical results of emotional categories, intensities, and arousals perceived by humans, a guide to grading the designed robot’s bodily expressions of emotion is created. By combining this guide with certain objective analyses, such as fixation and trajectory of eye movements, the characteristics of human perception, including the perceived differences between happiness and negative emotions and the trends of eye movements for different emotional categories, are described. This study not only illustrates subjective and objective evidence that humans can perceive robot bodily expressions of emotions through only vision but also provides helpful guidance for designing appropriate emotional bodily expressions in HRIs.
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spelling doaj-art-eaebe7eeb9104912b7e84e3aff37e7a22025-08-20T02:28:07ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732024-11-0191168410.3390/biomimetics9110684Human Perception of the Emotional Expressions of Humanoid Robot Body Movements: Evidence from Survey and Eye-Tracking MeasurementsWa Gao0Shiyi Shen1Yang Ji2Yuan Tian3Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210038, ChinaCollege of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210038, ChinaCollege of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210038, ChinaCollege of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210038, ChinaThe emotional expression of body movement, which is an aspect of emotional communication between humans, has not been considered enough in the field of human–robot interactions (HRIs). This paper explores human perceptions of the emotional expressions of humanoid robot body movements to study the emotional design of the bodily expressions of robots and the characteristics of the human perception of these emotional body movements. Six categories of emotional behaviors, including happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, fear, and disgust, were designed by imitating human emotional body movements, and they were implemented on a Yanshee robot. A total of 135 participants were recruited for questionnaires and eye-tracking measurements. Statistical methods, including K-means clustering, repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA), Friedman’s ANOVA, and Spearman’s correlation test, were used to analyze the data. According to the statistical results of emotional categories, intensities, and arousals perceived by humans, a guide to grading the designed robot’s bodily expressions of emotion is created. By combining this guide with certain objective analyses, such as fixation and trajectory of eye movements, the characteristics of human perception, including the perceived differences between happiness and negative emotions and the trends of eye movements for different emotional categories, are described. This study not only illustrates subjective and objective evidence that humans can perceive robot bodily expressions of emotions through only vision but also provides helpful guidance for designing appropriate emotional bodily expressions in HRIs.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/11/684emotional expressionhuman perceptionhuman–robot interactionrobot body movements
spellingShingle Wa Gao
Shiyi Shen
Yang Ji
Yuan Tian
Human Perception of the Emotional Expressions of Humanoid Robot Body Movements: Evidence from Survey and Eye-Tracking Measurements
Biomimetics
emotional expression
human perception
human–robot interaction
robot body movements
title Human Perception of the Emotional Expressions of Humanoid Robot Body Movements: Evidence from Survey and Eye-Tracking Measurements
title_full Human Perception of the Emotional Expressions of Humanoid Robot Body Movements: Evidence from Survey and Eye-Tracking Measurements
title_fullStr Human Perception of the Emotional Expressions of Humanoid Robot Body Movements: Evidence from Survey and Eye-Tracking Measurements
title_full_unstemmed Human Perception of the Emotional Expressions of Humanoid Robot Body Movements: Evidence from Survey and Eye-Tracking Measurements
title_short Human Perception of the Emotional Expressions of Humanoid Robot Body Movements: Evidence from Survey and Eye-Tracking Measurements
title_sort human perception of the emotional expressions of humanoid robot body movements evidence from survey and eye tracking measurements
topic emotional expression
human perception
human–robot interaction
robot body movements
url https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/11/684
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AT yangji humanperceptionoftheemotionalexpressionsofhumanoidrobotbodymovementsevidencefromsurveyandeyetrackingmeasurements
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