Autonomous cars have helped people increase their physical activity with guiding questions.
Scientists from the University of Plymouth (UK) taught the NAO humanoid robot the technique of motivational interviewing. The participants in the experiment highly appreciated his abilities, and some preferred the "impartial" program to the person.
The technique of motivational interviews in the 80s of the last century was invented by the psychotherapist William Miller. It is a series of questions that push a person to make positive changes in his life. At first, the method was applied exclusively to those who suffer from alcohol addiction, but then it became more widespread.
Experts from the University of Plymouth put into the robot a program that, using consistent questions and answers, would help people to exercise more often. To test it, 20 volunteers were invited - 17 women and three men. Each of them went through an interview with the robot, which lasted no more than 15 minutes, and a week later filled out a questionnaire in which he spoke about his impressions. There were four criteria in the questionnaire: how comfortable the respondents felt when communicating with the robot, the assessment of the program scenario, the ease of interaction, and a description of the experience they experienced when talking about their lifestyle to the robot.
Interview Process / Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Most of the participants liked the “impartiality” of the interlocutor. Many noted that he did not condemn their answers. Five women between the ages of 18 and 33 reported that they increased their sports activities after interacting with a robot.
Professor Jackie Andrade noted that the participants very quickly adapted to the new environment:
“We were pleasantly surprised that most of the volunteers quickly got used to the new experience and freely discussed their lifestyle with the robot. Many of them called this interaction pleasant, interesting and useful."
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Alexey Evglevsky