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Apple Researchers have developed a New frame To make non -humanoid robots move more naturally and expressively during interactions with people, potentially racing the way for more attractive robotic assistants in homes and workplaces.
The investigation, published this month on Arxiv, presents an expressive and functional movement design Eleguntthat allows robots to transmit intentions, emotions and attitudes through their movements, instead of simply completing functional tasks.
“So that robots interact more naturally with humans, the design of the robots movement should integrate expressive qualities, such as intention, attention and emotions, together with traditional functional considerations such as fulfilling tasks, spatial limitations And the efficiency of time, “writers of the Apple Robotics team in their research document.
How a desk lamp became the perfect testing theme for robots emotions
The study focused on a lamp -shaped robot, reminiscent of Pixar’s Animated Luxury Jr. character, equipped with a robotic arm of 6 axes and a head that contains a light and a projector. The researchers scheduled the robot with two types of movements: the purely functional ones focused on completing more expressive tasks and movements designed to communicate the internal state of the robot.
In user tests with 21 participants, expressive movements significantly improved the commitment of people and the perception of the robot. This effect was especially pronounced during social tasks such as playing music or starting a conversation, although it was less shocking for purely functional tasks such as adjusting lighting.
“Without the game, I could find this type of interaction with an annoying robot instead of welcome and attractive,” said a study participant, highlighting how expressive movements made even potentially intrusive robot behaviors more acceptable.
The user test reveals the age gap in robot movement preferences
Research occurs when the main technological companies increasingly explore home robotics. Although most of the current house robots such as robot vacuum cleaners focus exclusively on the function, this work suggests that adding more natural and expressive movements could make future robots more attractive companions.
However, researchers point out that balance is crucial. “There must be a balance between the commitment through the movement and the end of the speed of the task that is administered, otherwise the human could be impatient,” said a participant.
The study also found that older participants were significantly less receptive to expressive robots movements, suggesting that robot behavior may need to be personalized according to user preferences.
The future of social robotics: find the optimal point between function and expression
While Apple rarely publicly discusses its research in robotics, this work offers intriguing clues about how the technological giant could address future robots at home. The study suggests a fundamental change in robotics design: instead of focusing solely on what robots can do, companies should consider how robots make people feel.
The challenge ahead lies not only in robot programming to complete tasks, but also make your presence welcome in our most intimate spaces. As robots go from factory floors to living rooms, their success can depend less on raw efficiency and more of their ability to read the room, both literally and metaphorically.
Apple’s role will be presented at the 2025 Interactive Systems Design Conference in Madeira this July.
The results point to a future in which the robot design requires as much entry of animators and behavioral psychologists as of engineers.
As robots become more common in homes and workplaces, make them move in a way that feels natural instead of mechanics could be the difference between another forgotten device and a truly indispensable partner. The real test will be if companies like Apple can translate this research knowledge into products that people not only use, but really want to interact.
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