Apple’s elegated framework could lead to the fact that home robots feel less than machines and more like companions

Apple Researchers have developed A New frame In order to move non -human robots in interactions with people more natural and express, you may pave the way for more appealing robot assistants at houses and jobs.

The research published this month about Arxiv this month ElegantWhat enables robots to convey intentions, emotions and settings through their movements – instead of only doing functional tasks.

“In order to interact with people more naturally, robot movement design should, in addition to traditional functional considerations such as fulfillment of tasks, spatial restrictions and time efficiency, integrate expressive properties such as intent, attention and emotions,” write the researchers from the robotics team from Apple in their research paper.

Like a desk lamp, the perfect test motif for robot emotions was

The study concentrated Luxury jr. Character, equipped with a 6-axis robot arm and a head with light and projector. The researchers programmed the robot with two types of movements: purely functional, which focused on the completion of tasks and more expressive movements in order to communicate the internal state of the robot.

In the case of user tests with 21 participants, the expressive movements significantly improved people’s commitment and the perception of the robot. This effect was particularly pronounced in social tasks such as music or conversation, although it was less effective for purely functional tasks such as the adaptation of the lighting.

“Without the playfulness, I could find this type of interaction with an annoying robot and not welcome and committed,” said a study participant and stated how expressive movements also made potentially intrusive robot behavior acceptable.

Usert tests show the age gap in the preferences of robot movements

Research comes because large technology companies are increasingly researching the Home Robotics. While most current Home robots such as Roboten -Vakuum only focus on the function, this work suggests that adding natural, expressive movements could make future robots more appealing.

However, the researchers find that the balance is of crucial importance. “There must be a balance between commitment through movement and the speed of the assigned task, otherwise people could become impatient,” said one participant.

The study also showed that older participants were significantly less receptive to expressive robot movements, which indicates that the robot behavior may have to be adapted based on the user preferences.

The future of social robotics: Find the Sweet Spot between function and expression

While Apple rarely publicly discusses its robotics research, this work offers fascinating indications of how the Tech giant future Home -robots could approach. The study indicates a fundamental shift in robotic design: Instead of just focusing on what robots can do, companies have to think about how robot people feel.

The challenge ahead of us is not only in programming robots to do tasks, but to welcome their presence in our most intimate rooms. When robots switch from the factory floors to living room, their success can depend less on the efficiency of the raw and more on their ability to read the space – both literally and metaphorically.

Apple’s paper is presented on 2025 design interactive systems Conference in Madeira in July.

The results indicate a future in which robot design requires as many entries from animators and behavioral psychologists as from engineers.

If robots in houses and workplaces are becoming more common and they move in a way that feels more natural than mechanical, the difference between another forgotten device and a really indispensable companion could be. The actual test will be whether companies like Apple can implement these research knowledge into products with which people not only want to use, but really want to interact.