Be afraid, be very afraid of this fluffy robot that breathes like it's scared

"The researchers developed round fluffy robots with motorized ribcages that can simulate breathing by expanding and contracting. More than 100 participants held these robots, which breathed in a stable pattern, in an accelerated fearful manner, or not at all, while the participants watched a scary clip from The Shining. The team found that the heart rates of people holding hyperventilating robots increased the most, compared with those holding chilled-out or stationary robots."

"It's the first study to show we can exacerbate emotion experiences using breathing robots, says psychologist Zachary Witkower of the University of Amsterdam, who led the study. It has implications for understanding human-robot interaction. Interaction between humans and robots is usually studied through visual and spoken exchanges. The touch aspect is novel and interesting, says Eric Vanman, a psychologist at the University of Queensland in Australia, who studies human interaction with emerging technologies."

"Participants reported that they perceived the robots as afraid, supporting the idea that they had caught the robot's emotional state. Additionally, participants holding steady-breathing robots showed slower heart rates. It's probably going to cause other researchers to look at the information we get from touch."

A study published in Emotion demonstrates that robots with motorized ribcages simulating breathing patterns can transfer emotional states to humans through physical contact. Over 100 participants held fluffy robots while watching a frightening film clip from The Shining. Robots programmed with rapid, fearful breathing patterns caused participants' heart rates to increase significantly compared to those holding calm or stationary robots. Participants perceived the hyperventilating robots as afraid, indicating emotional contagion occurred. The research represents the first evidence that breathing robots can amplify emotional experiences. This finding opens new research directions in human-robot interaction, particularly regarding tactile communication beyond traditional visual and verbal exchanges.

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