Humans ‘catch’ fear from robots that breathe like they’re scared

We have all instinctively clung to another person when we were afraid, even if only as children, squeezing our mother’s hand. But if that person is also afraid, this behavior may not have the desired calming effect. And a new study, published in the journal Emotionsuggests that a robot that imitates human breathing can also convey feelings of fear.

Researchers have developed round, squishy robots with motorized rib cages that can simulate breathing by expanding and contracting. More than 100 participants held these robots, which breathed steadily, in a “scary” accelerated manner, or not at all, while participants watched a scary clip from The Shining.

The team found that the heart rates of people holding hyperventilated robots increased the most, compared to those holding relaxed or stationary robots. Participants reported that they perceived the robots as “scared”, supporting the idea that they had “caught” the robot’s emotional state. “This is the first study that shows that we can exacerbate emotional experiences using breathing robots,” says psychologist Zachary Witkower from the University of Amsterdam, who led the study. “This has implications for understanding human-robot interaction.”

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The interaction between humans and robots is generally studied through visual and spoken exchanges. “The tactile aspect is new and interesting,” says Eric Vanman, a psychologist at the University of Queensland in Australia who studies human interaction with emerging technologies. “This will probably inspire other researchers to look at the information we get from touch.”

Additionally, participants holding steadily breathing robots showed slower heart rates. This difference was not significant, but it suggests that contact with regular breathing could calm emotions. Previous research supports this: “There is evidence that touching animals and humans can have calming effects,” says Vanman.

If so, researchers could develop therapeutic devices that help us achieve desired emotional states. “We have already started discussions with clinical psychologists,” says Witkower. “We are focused on developing dynamic robots to regulate anxiety.” This work could also inspire wearable devices that safely stimulate exciting experiences, such as video games and horror films, Vanman adds.

Vanman would like to see future studies measure breathing, to test whether the change in heart rate is related to people matching the robots’ breathing patterns, as well as other indicators. Witkower and his colleagues plan to track additional markers in future studies and hope to examine whether breathing robots could automatically detect and respond to human physiology.

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