Low expectations are easily surpassed (Image: Steve Olson/Getty)
ROBOTIC helpers are not yet in every home. But in recent years robots have steadily marched into the real world to perform tasks such as cleaning floors, delivering drugs or simply entertaining.
That has let anthropologists and roboticists give these mechanical workers their first report cards – and results are mixed. Despite evidence that we can find robots useful, even lovable colleagues, they can also trigger annoyance and violence. The results should help make future robots easier to work with.
One study by at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,…
