Following to Talk: Effects of Mobile Robot Guidance on Dialogue Motivation in a Field Trial

Abstract

Since robots are often disregarded in public interactions, many studies have examined how nonverbal cues and dialogue strategies encourage users to initiate engagement. However, the impact of robot “movement” remains insufficiently investigated. This study examined the psychological effects of movement behavior on willingness to engage in dialogue in a scenario where a mobile guide robot leads people to a stationary robot. A field experiment in a shopping mall showed that guidance by a mobile robot significantly increased dialogue duration, whereas no correlation was found between moving distance and willingness to engage. These results suggest that physical commitment induced by guided movement may enhance user motivation, and that interaction designs leveraging movement behavior may be important for advancing the social implementation of interactive robots.