The wave of robot manufacturing ‘pleases’ users

Last week, when the streets of Los Angeles were flooded due to heavy rain, many city residents expressed their sympathy for an automatic delivery robot. Video of robot struggling to move in water due to account mona.the.pa posted on Instagram received more than 222,000 likes and 3,700 comments, including “he’s trying his best”, “I feel so sad” or “someone please help”, after 6 days.

In many big cities, delivery robots are designed with facial expressions and unique names. Passersby often show their love and affection by helping them overcome obstacles, pressing the traffic light button, or sending good luck on the journey.

Not only delivery robots, many other types of robots are also being designed by technology companies with cute, even pet-like appearances to create sympathy. “If you are a robot developer or designer, you certainly don’t want your product to feel threatening but want people to feel comfortable. You will want to send a signal that it is friendly and does not harm anyone,” robot designer Ellie Sanoubari told NBC News.

According to Sanoubari, in the past robots were often limited to factories and needed people with technical expertise to operate. Now, she predicts a new generation of robots, aimed at interacting with humans, will become more common in everyday life. That could lead to design choices like larger heads, bigger eyes, and the ability to make cute sounds.

DoorDash, the largest food delivery service in the US, developed the Dot delivery robot in this direction. Dot debuted last fall, can travel on streets at a maximum speed of 40 km/h, and is designed to promote “human adoption”.

Ashu Rege, DoorDash’s vice president of automated technology, said the company created the Dot with a round shape because according to research, people tend to prefer round objects to square ones. Big eyes are also an important design feature, allowing Dot to “see” in the direction she intends to move and make eye contact with pedestrians to signal that she is about to cross the street. This robot also makes sounds to announce its presence, or warn people around it when moving on the sidewalk. Rege hopes these features help people accept and trust the robot, while gradually becoming familiar with it and guessing its intentions.

DoorDash isn’t the only company looking to make robots friendlier. American startup Interaction Labs has invited Alec Sokolow, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter for a famous animated film Toy Storyparticipated in designing Ongo interactive lights. This table lamp product has the shape of a robot with big eyes, speaks in a cartoon voice and moves like the iconic lamp of Pixar.

Similar to chatbots, Ongo learns more about users over time, acting as a companion or AI agent. But unlike chatbots, it can jump up in excitement or lean over someone’s shoulder. Sokolow shared, they want to create a device “hybrid between a pet and a personal assistant”.

Humanoid robots are also not left out of the race. Memo, a robot that helps with housework such as loading dishes into the washing machine and folding laundry, has an appearance reminiscent of Baymax – a favorite “companion” robot in cartoons. Big Hero 6 by Disney. According to Fabian Fernandez-Han, head of marketing at manufacturer Sunday Robotics (USA), they wanted Memo to look friendly but not too human-like because that would lead to “uncanny valley” – an uncomfortable feeling with objects that resemble people but are not real. As the robot prepares to enter testing later this year, the company is considering customizations to “up the cuteness factor” such as wearing colorful hats and other accessories.

Apptronik (USA) and Fourier (China) are designing robots with more expressive eyes, friendly smiles and more subtle features to evoke feelings of warmth and positivity. “If people continue to fear robots, they won’t embrace them,” Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Apptronik, told Traffic lights.

Apollo, Apptronik’s newest robot, has a flat face, two cameras for eyes and an information display instead of a mouth. Meanwhile, Fourier’s personal care robot has a softer appearance with foam upholstery and cushioning. The robot is 10 centimeters shorter than other models from the same company, Fourier explained, because testing showed that a robot taller than 168 centimeters creates a feeling of “physical pressure and intimidation.”

Chinese company DroidUp increases the intimacy of humanoid robots by using synthetic skin, maintaining body temperature of 32-36 degrees Celsius, improving gait and expression. Moya can walk, maintain eye contact, and show subtle expressions with a good-looking face. The company introduced Moya in Shanghai in late January, calling it the world’s first fully biomimetic robot and integrated embodied AI.

Standing at 1.65 m tall and weighing about 32 kg, Moya is designed with nearly adult-like proportions. DroidUp not only sees Moya as a home robot but also aims for applications in healthcare, education and other commercial environments, where human-robot interaction plays a central role. Instead of focusing on industrial tasks or high-speed sports performance, the company aims for environments that require sustained interaction and a friendly, approachable feel.

However, “cuteness” of robots also faces some mixed opinions. Brian Comiskey, senior director of innovation and trends at the Consumer Technology Association, said many developers struggle to balance robot responsiveness, which is performing tasks quickly and reliably, with cute design.

Guy Hoffman, a Cornell University professor who studies human-robot interactions, said adding human features like eyes might be inappropriate and called faceless robots like Tesla’s Optimus the most “honest” designs. “The robot should be as accessible as an elevator. You don’t want to feel like you’re about to die when you get into the elevator, but you don’t need cuteness either,” he explains.

In the context of more and more cute robots integrating AI, Sanoubari warns about the risk of people becoming emotionally dependent on them. Previously, AI-integrated robot toys and pet-like “companions” have raised concerns about data privacy, lax controls and inappropriate conversation topics for children. “One of the things we can do is be transparent about the mechanical nature of robots, especially when using them for vulnerable groups like children, for elder care and many similar jobs,” Sanoubari said.