Culturally Sensitive Stand-Up Comedian Robot
摘要
Humour is a powerful tool for fostering user acceptance and enhancing human-robot interaction (HRI). However, its implementation in robots remains a complex challenge due to its dependence on cultural context and expressive delivery. Prior research in cultural robotics highlights the significant role of cultural norms in shaping user perceptions and acceptance of social robots, yet little attention has been paid to how robots can adapt to diverse audiences through humour. To address this, we present a cultural stand-up comedian robot that integrates prompt-based personality design with culture in mind humour style and multimodal expressiveness. The research draws from robotic comedy, computational humour, cultural robotics, and personality design to investigate two core questions: (1) How can robots better adapt to diverse cultural audiences through humorous personality? and (2) How can robots incorporate non-verbal expressions to enhance robot’s humorous perception from the audience? A live user study with 22 participants evaluated performances by two culturally distinct (British vs. American) comedic personas. Results identified language and vocal expression as an prominent elements for effective cultural adaptation in robotic comedy.