Physical embodied communication between robots and children: An approach for relationship building by holding hands

The influence of holding hands on the relationship building process between children and robots is investigated in this study. In particular, at the first meeting, it is difficult for a child to be open if he/she starts to rebuff the robot partner. This significantly degrades the possibility of the child forming a friendship relationship with the robot. Thus, the initial approach of the robot to the child in the early stage of the relationship building process should be appropriate. We hypothesize that physical embodied communication, such as walking hand in hand, improves the relationship between children and robots. A holding hands system was implemented in a real robot, and an experiment was conducted at a kindergarten to validate our hypothesis. The results strongly support our hypothesis.