. 24/7 Space News .
ROBO SPACE
Humans can empathize with robots
by Staff Writers
Toyohashi, Japan (SPX) Nov 09, 2015


This image shows a human and a robot in a social situation.

Empathy is a basic human ability. We often feel empathy toward and console others in distress. Is it possible for us to emphasize with humanoid robots? Since robots are becoming increasingly popular and common in our daily lives, it is necessary to understand our interaction with robots in social situations.

However, it is not clear how the human brain responds to robots in empathic situations.

Now, researchers at the Department of Information Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology in collaboration with researchers at the Department of Psychology, Kyoto University have found the first neurophysiological evidence of humans' ability to empathize with robots in perceived pain and highlighted the difference in human empathy toward other humans and robots.

They performed electroencephalography (EEG) in 15 healthy adults who were observing pictures of either a human or robotic hand in painful or non-painful situations, such as a finger being cut by a knife.

Event-related brain potentials for empathy toward humanoid robots in perceived pain were similar to those for empathy toward humans in pain. However, the beginning of the top-down process of empathy was weaker in empathy toward robots than toward humans.

"The ascending phase of P3 (350-500 ms after the stimulus presentation) showed a positive shift in the observer for a human in pain in comparison with the no-pain condition, but not for a robot in perceived pain.

Then, the difference between empathy toward humans and robots disappeared in the descending phase of P3 (500-650 ms)", explains Associate Professor Michiteru Kitazaki, "The positive shift of P3 is considered as reflecting the top-down process of empathy. Its beginning phase seems related to the process of perspective taking, as was shown in a previous study."

These results suggest that we empathize with humanoid robots in a similar fashion as we do with other humans. However, the beginning of the top-down process of empathy is weaker for empathy toward robots than toward humans. It may be caused by humans' inability in taking a robot's perspective.

It is reasonable that we cannot take the perspective of robots because their body and mind (if it exists) are very different from ours. The researchers are trying to manipulate humans' perspective taking of robots in a further study. This study will contribute to the development of human-friendly robots whom we feel sympathy for and comfortable with.

Suzuki, Y., Ikeda, A., Itakura, S. and Kitazaki, M. (2015). Measuring empathy for human and robot hand pain using electroencephalography. Scientific Reports, 5:15924; doi: 10.1038/srep15924


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Toyohashi University of Technology
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
ROBO SPACE
How sensorimotor intelligence may develop
Klosterneuburg, Austria (SPX) Nov 05, 2015
It is fascinating to observe a robot exploring its physical possibilities and surroundings, and subsequently developing different self-taught behaviors without any instructions. In their paper published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), Professor Ralf Der from the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, and Georg Martius, Postdoc and Fellow at the Institute ... read more


ROBO SPACE
Gaia's sensors scan a lunar transit

SwRI scientists explain why moon rocks contain fewer volatiles than Earth's

All-female Russian crew starts Moon mission test

Russian moon mission would need 4 Angara-A5V launches

ROBO SPACE
Amnesia Event Slows Down Opportunity Robotic Arm Work

Swiss Camera Leaves for Mars

NASA mission reveals speed of solar wind stripping Martian atmosphere

Martian desiccation

ROBO SPACE
Orion Service Module Stacking Assembly Secured For Flight

Global partnerships in orbit support economic growth on and off the Earth

Magic plant discovery could lead to growing food in space

NASA Armstrong Hosts Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Showcase

ROBO SPACE
China's self-developed Mars probe to be on show

Could Sino-U.S. cooperation bring the Martian home?

China's scientific satellites to enter uncharted territory

Declaration approved to promote Asia Pacific space cooperation

ROBO SPACE
US astronauts dodge ammonia on risky spacewalk

UK astronaut dreams of heavenly Christmas pudding

NASA drops Boeing from race for $3.5 billion cargo contract

Space Station offers valuable lessons about life support systems

ROBO SPACE
Commercial Spaceflight Gets A Boost With Latest Congressional Moves

The 10th Arianespace mission of 2015 is "go" for its Ariane 5 liftoff next week

USAF releases first Booster Propulsion Technology Maturation BAA Award

SpaceLoft demonstrates capability to eject separate payloads requiring independent re-entry

ROBO SPACE
Distant world's weather is mixed bag of hot dust and molten rain

Disk gaps don't always signal planets

Finding New Worlds with a Play of Light and Shadow

Did Jupiter Expel A Rival Gas Giant

ROBO SPACE
New ORNL catalyst features unsurpassed selectivity

Cyclic healing removes defects in metals while maintaining strength

Microscopy unveils lithium-rich transition metal oxides

Scanning reveals anomalies in Great Pyramid at Giza









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.