Hot or not? Exploring User Perceptions of thermal Human-Robot Interaction*

Haptics is an essential element of interaction between humans and socially assistive robots. However, it is often limited to movements or vibrations and misses key aspects such as temperature. This mixed-methods study explores the potential of enhancing human-robot interaction [HRI] through thermal stimulation to regulate affect during a stress-inducing task. Participants were exposed to thermal stimulation while completing the Mannheim-multicomponent-stress-task (MMST). Findings yielded that human-robot emotional touch may induce comfort and relaxation during the exposure to acute stressors. User affect may be further enhanced through thermal stimulation, which was experienced as comforting, de-stressing, and altered participants’ perception of the robot to be more life-like. Allowing participants to calibrate a temperature they perceived as calming provided novel insights into the temperature ranges suitable for interaction. While neutral temperatures were the most popular amongst participants, findings suggest that cool (4 – 29 ºC), neutral (30 – 32 ºC), and warm (33ºC -36 ºC) temperatures can all induce comforting effects during exposure to stress. The results highlight the potential of thermal HRI in general and, more specifically, the advantages of personalized temperature calibration.