Disambiguating Anthropomorphism and Anthropomimesis in Human-Robot Interaction

TL;DR

This work addresses the ambiguity between user-perceived human-likeness and designer-implemented human-like features in robots by proposing working definitions and a comparative framework that assigns responsibility to either the perceiver or the designer. It analyzes theoretical backgrounds, discusses measurement challenges, and outlines practical implications for design, evaluation, and policy in Human-Robot Interaction. The main contributions are the first explicit disambiguation of anthropomorphism and anthropomimesis in HRI, a taxonomy of their dimensions (aesthetic, behavioral, substantive), and guidance for accountability and governance in future robot design. The significance lies in enabling clearer design decisions, more precise evaluation of human-like qualities, and more actionable policy considerations for safe and responsible deployment of social robots.

Abstract

In this preliminary work, we offer an initial disambiguation of the theoretical concepts anthropomorphism and anthropomimesis in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) and social robotics. We define anthropomorphism as users perceiving human-like qualities in robots, and anthropomimesis as robot developers designing human-like features into robots. This contribution aims to provide a clarification and exploration of these concepts for future HRI scholarship, particularly regarding the party responsible for human-like qualities - robot perceiver for anthropomorphism, and robot designer for anthropomimesis. We provide this contribution so that researchers can build on these disambiguated theoretical concepts for future robot design and evaluation.