Robots in the workplace might be good for our mental health, Cambridge study shows

The perception of how effective the machines are depends in large part on what the robot looks like, according to the stud
The perception of how effective the machines are depends in large part on what the robot looks like, according to the study Credit: University of Cambridge

The rise of the robots have long been feared as bad news when it comes to replacing humans in the workplace.

From serving food, warehouse work or on the assembly line, robotics are increasingly becoming a common sight.

That has sparked fears that they could replace human labour in factories in the next few decades.

  • Videos like this one from Boston Dynamics have highlighted the capabilities of robots

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found our battery-powered friends might actually be good for us too, by improving our mental health.

But they have to look the part.

University of Cambridge researchers carried out a study in a tech consultancy firm using two different robot wellbeing coaches. Twenty-six employees took part in weekly robot-led wellbeing sessions for four weeks.

While the robots had identical voices, facial expressions, and scripts for the sessions, their physical appearance affected how people interacted with them.

Those who did their wellbeing exercises with a toy-like robot said they felt more of a connection with their "coach" than people who worked with a humanoid-like robot.

QTRobot (Left) and Misty II

The researchers collaborated with local technology company Cambridge Consultants to design and implement a workplace wellbeing programme using robots.

Over the course of four weeks, employees were guided through four different wellbeing exercises by one of two robots: either the QTRobot (QT) or the Misty II robot (Misty).

The researchers say that perception of robots is affected by popular culture, where the only limit on what robots can do is the imagination.

But when faced with a robot in the real world, it often does not live up to expectations.

According to the researchers, since the toy-like robot looks simpler, people may have had lower expectations and ended up finding the robot easier to talk to and connect with.

Those who worked with the humanoid robot found their expectations did not match reality, since the robot was not capable of having interactive conversations, they said.

Dr Micol Spitale, the paper's first author, said: "It could be that since the Misty robot is more toy-like, it matched their expectations. But since QT is more humanoid, they expected it to behave like a human, which may be why participants who worked with QT were slightly underwhelmed."

After speaking to different wellbeing coaches, the researchers programmed the robots to have a coach-like personality, with high openness and conscientiousness.

Professor Hatice Gunes, from Cambridge's Department of Computer Science andTechnology, who led the research, said: " It's incredibly difficult to create a robot that's capable of natural conversation. New developments in large language models could really be beneficial in this respect."

It is not the first time that researchers have highlighted potential benefits of robots with human healthcare.

Cambridge researchers also found they could have a positive impact on child mental health, while research in Hertfordshire has also been carried out on how they could provide care for older people.