Artificial emotional intelligence could change senior users' perceptions of social robots

Socially assistive robots (SARS) are a class of robotic systems specifically designed to help vulnerable or older users to complete everyday activities. In addition to increasing their independence, these robots could stimulate users mentally and offer basic emotional support. To support users most effectively, however, these robots should be able to engage in meaningful social interactions, identifying the emotions of users and responding appropriately to them. This could ultimately increase the users' trust in the robots, while also promoting their emotional wellbeing. Researchers at University of Denver, DreamFace Technologies, and University of Colorado have recently carried out a small pilot study aimed at exploring how the perceptions of older adults using socially assistive robots change depending on whether these robots have an artificial emotional intelligence or not.