DESU 100: about the temptation to destroy a robot

Abstract

Whilst previous research examined the behaviour of humans instructed to destroy robots, this paper is concerned with the question "Are humans tempted to destroy robots?" For this purpose, an interactive installation was created, consisting of the robot DESU 100 and a button on a pedestal. The visitors of this installation were faced with the opportunity to push the button, and herewith forcing the robot to hit itself. Despite feeling sympathy for DESU 100, most of the visitors yielded to the temptation and pressed the button at least once, experiencing satisfaction.