HuggieBot Hugging Robot Dials in its Hugs

Jun-11-18 The HuggieBot hugging robot could offer remote emotional support as well make humans more amenable to robots.

As it turns out, hugs are pretty important to encouraging good mental health. As a study into the types of hugs human crave, the team at the Max Planck Institute created HuggieBot, a human-sized robot wrapped in layers of soft material and equipped with pressure sensors. The bot was then tested on human volunteers, who showed that most people prefer hugs that are soft and warm as well as a hugger who releases them as soon as they indicate they are ready.

As a positive side effect, being hugged by the robot also seemed to make humans more open to robots in general.

More Info about this Invention:

[DIGITALTRENDS.COM]
[SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG]

---