Comparison of Robot Assessment by Using Physical and Virtual Prototypes: Assessment of Appearance Characteristics, Emotional Response and Social Perception

The integration of robots into society has prompted extensive exploration, extending over various fields such as education, healthcare, and industry. This paper delves into the classification of robot conception and emphasizes the increasing prevalence of robots in diverse applications. Particularly in healthcare, the implementation of robots has sparked debates regarding their positive and negative implications, necessitating a thorough understanding of their impact across different contexts. The authors proposed a healthcare robot aimed at providing emotional support for pediatric walking rehabilitation, emphasizing the importance of assessing both physical and emotional aspects through physical prototypes (PP) and virtual prototypes (VP). The study introduces a methodology for comparative analysis, focusing on appearance characteristics, emotional response, and social perception. Initial findings suggest that while observable aspects like color and shape are effectively compared, more intricate features require further exploration. The study also evaluates emotional responses using the SAM instrument, revealing comparable emotional aspects conveyed by both PP and VP. The RoSAS assessment further validates social and emotional aspects of the prototypes, highlighting differences in factors such as discomfort and warmth between PP and VP. These insights underscore the potential of VP for prototype assessment and suggest avenues for further research in this domain.