Do you think you could be friends with a robot?
Would you maybe even die for one?
Anthony here, for D News.
And we love to anthropomorphic stuff.
That's where we assign human qualities
to animals or objects.
You know like, that electrical socket looks hungry,
or that lamp is sad.
Probably because that electrical socket is eating its tail.
Researchers think it helps us feel connected
to things, gives us a feeling of control.
We might not understand why our car is broken down,
but it makes us feel less overwhelmed to say,
oh, it's just mad at me.
This becomes particularly interesting with something
like a robot, which is built to actually behave
like it does have a mind of its own.
Recently a lot of studies and pilot programs
have shown that the elderly and disabled, especially people
with dementia can benefit from the social interaction that
comes with having a simple robot in the house.
It can keep them more engaged and make
them feel less isolated.
But there's a downside to that sort of anthropomorphizing.
A recent university of Washington study
suggests that forming emotional bond to a robot
might affect a soldiers outcome in the field.
See, robots are used for a lot of reasons in battle.
Everything from weapon diffusion to search and rescue,
even combat.
There a tool design to keep humans out of harm's way.
But after a while, soldiers begin
to look at them as friends.
And the concern is that might compromise their decision
making.
23 soldiers that work regularly with robots
were interviewed by the researchers.
And they all said that they named their robots,
they gave their robots a gender, they
admitted to having feelings of sadness
or anger when the robot got damaged.
They would say things like, oh poor little guy.
And in some cases, the soldiers admitted to a feeling of loss
when the robot was destroyed and even
had mock funerals for them.
They're considered team members.
But while they admitted to thinking of their robots
as little buddies, every soldier interviewed
said that they did not believe that that outlook compromised
their decision making in the field at all.
Which is probably true.
But it would require much more long term observation
of their behavior in the field to actually prove it.
Researchers are more concerned about what
happens when the current simple Rover Wally looking robots
are replaced by humanoid or animal like ones like Boston
Dynamics big dog.
The more a robot seems like a living thing,
the more we get attached to it.
And the more we begin to give it credit for more intelligence
or ability than it actually has.
And that doesn't just mean physical appearance,
that means movement or other behavior as well.
So how lifelike would a robot have
to be before a soldier really does look at it like a pet?
Or even like another soldier?
And could it lead them to make emotionally inappropriate
decisions to keep that robot out of harm's way?
I worry about my neighbors in animal
crossing like they are real people.
So I can absolutely see myself getting way
to attached to a robot.
What about you?
Do you think that we will eventually
see robots as friends?
Or will we always be able to think of them as tools?
Let us know down below and subscribe for more D News.