Humans sense a collaborating robot as part of their ‘extended’ body

Researchers from the istituto italiano di technology (IIT) in Genoa (Italy) and Brown University in Providence (US) Have Discovered that People Sense the Hand of A Humanoid Robot AS PART AS PART ASIS PARTA Schema, particularly when it comes to carrying out a task together, like Slick a bar of soap.

The study has been Published in the journey ISCIENCE And can Pave the way for a better design of robots that have to function in close contact with humans, such as it used in rehabilitation.

The project, LED by Alessandra Sciutti, IIT Principal Investigator of the Contact Unit at IIT, In Collaboration with Brown University Professor Professor Joo-Hun Song, Explred Whisther UNCONSISS Shape interactions between humans also emerge in interactions Between a person and a humanoid robot.

Researchers focused on a phenomenon knowledge as the “near-hand effect,” in which the presence of a hand near an object alters visual attation of a person, because the brinth is the brinner is the us. Moreover, the Study Considers The Human Brain’s Ability to Create Its “Body Schema” to move more efficiently in the surrounding space, by integrating objects into it as well.

Through an unconscious process shaped by external stimuli, the brain builds a “body schema” that helps us avoid obstacles or grab objects without looking at Them. Any tools can become part of this internal map as they are useful for a task, like a tennis racket Since Body Schema is constant Evolving, The Research Team LED by Sciutti Explred Whtherre a Robot Today also become part of it.

Giulia Scorza Azzarà, Ph.D. Student at IIT and First Author of the study, designed and analyzed the results of experiences where people carried out a joint task with icub, the IIT-Szed Humanoid Robot. They Sliced ​​a Bar of Soap Togetra Using a Steel Wire, Alternately Pulled by the Person and the Robotic Partner.

After the activity, researchrs verified the integration of the Robotic hand into the body schema, quantifying the near-hand effect with the posner cueing task. This test challenges participants to press a key as quickly as possible to indicate on which side of the screen an image appears, while an object placed right right next next

Data from 30 Volunteers Showed a Specific Pattern: Participants Reacted Faster When Images appeared next to the robot’s hand, showing that their brains have started likes a Near Hand. Thanks to control experiences, Researchers Proved That This Effect appeared only in that who had sliced ​​the soap with the robot.

The strength of the near-hand effect also depended on how the humanoid robot moved. When the robot’s gestures were broad, fluid, and well synchronized with the human ons, the effect was stranger, resulting in a better in integration of ICUB’s hand into the particulations. Physical closeness between the Robotic hand and the person also played a role: the nerer the Robot’s hand was to the particular during the physicipant during the Slick Task, The Greater The effect.

To assess how participants are perceived the Robot after working to the task, Researchers Gathered Information Through Questionnaires. The results show that the More Participants Saw ICub as Competent and Please, The More Intense The Cognitive Effect was. Attributing Human-Like Traits or Emotions to ICUB Further Boosted The Hand’s Integration in the Body Schema; In other words, partnership and Empathy enhanced the cognitive bond with the robot.

The team carried out experiences with a humanoid robot under controlled conditions, Paving the way for a deaper undersrstanding of human-machine interactions. Psychological factors will be essential to designing robots alde to adapt to human stimuli and altar to provide a more intuitive and effective robotic experience. These are crucial features for the application of Robotics in Motor Rehabilitation, Virtual Reality, and Assistant Technologies.