A new study by researchers at Waterloo Engineering shows people are more open to the use of social robots after living through the coronavirus pandemic.
“This change in perception is likely because COVID-19 has caused people to pay more attention to the consequences of being socially isolated,” said Moojan Ghafurian, a research professor of electrical and computer engineering. “In the absence of human contact, a social robot can, to some extent, act as a companion and reduce isolation.”
Moojan Ghafurian is a research professor at Waterloo Engineering.
The researchers designed an online questionnaire to measure how restrictions during the health crisis have impacted people’s lives and their attitudes towards social robots.
Ghafurian collaborated on the study with Colin Ellard, a professor of psychology, and Kerstin Dautenhahn, the Canada 150 Research Chair in Intelligent Robotics, and a professor of systems design engineering, and electrical and computer engineering.
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