A cursory investigation of common characterizations of New Yorkers reveals that impoliteness is the one trait that comes up most frequently.
In light of this, the findings of a recent study conducted by researchers at Cornell University, which showed that New Yorkers were, in fact, quite engaging, helpful, and kind to two visitors at a busy spot in Greenwich Village last fall, may come as something of a surprise.
The guests were in the form of two automated garbage cans.
The researchers Fanjun Bu and Ilan Mandel wished to “study people’s interactions with autonomous everyday objects,” as they explained it.
They stated that “we can better understand the range of behaviors and norms that robots will need to manage autonomously in longer-term deployments” if we examine interactions with robots in public spaces. “We can better understand the range of behaviors and norms that robots will need to manage autonomously in longer-term deployments.”
The report was delivered as a presentation at the Conference on Human-Robot Interaction that took place in Stockholm the previous week. It was also published as a Companion of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction.
One of their discoveries was that individuals embraced the robots and expressed gratitude for the assistance that they provided. A few individuals tried to “assist” the robots by throwing garbage in their route and removing obstacles from their way. Pedestrians even attributed humanlike intentions to the robots, believing, for example, that wobbling motions were expressions of appreciation when, in reality, the motions were simply caused by uneven concrete.
It should be noted that the machines did not have a humanlike appearance. They were constructed in a straightforward manner, with no facial characteristics; rather, they consisted of nothing more than a standard 32-gallon can mounted on a hoverboard base and topped with a Raspberry Pi 4 tiny computer and a 360-degree camera. Therefore, social interactions were predominantly based on the functionality of the robot, and not on any humanizing appearances it might have had.
On-site research assistants were responsible for controlling the maneuvers of the robots.
According to the findings of the researchers, the automated garbage cans promoted social interaction.
They noticed that “strangers started conversations” about the possible roles that machines could play in society. A conversation was overheard between two women who were having lunch together. One of the women turned to the other and said, “I guess it knows I’ve been sitting here long enough, I should give it something.”
The utilization of more than one robot, as described by Bu and Mandel, “shifted the interaction paradigms that were in play.” Some people gestured at the cans, asking them to come to them so that they could get rid of their trash.
However, the introduction of a second robot ushered in a fresh scenario for the situation. People had the misconception that the machines were conscious of one another’s presence. They also perceived the cans to be in competition with one another, as one can raced to a person immediately after the other can approached. Another instance of humans imbuing robots with human qualities, in this case the ability to achieve their objectives, can be seen in the statement.
When the cans became crooked because of the uneven ground, some people assisted to straighten them out.
However, given that this was taking place in New York, not everyone was overjoyed. Some people welcomed the mobile garbage receptacles with comments that were, well, trashy.
“That is very spooky. One of the women shrieked out in horror as she drew back in response to the sight of the approaching garbage can. One person reprimanded a recycling can for its unacceptable acceptance of non-recyclable waste. “Bad boy,” he said.
Someone else made a rude hand gesture that made it abundantly clear that they would rather have their space to themselves. In addition to that, another person savagely shoved the can over.
But in the end, humanity prevailed, and with it came our hopes that one day humans and environmental initiatives like mechanized wastebaskets might be able to coexist peacefully. This was demonstrated in a video that accompanied the report and showed a young girl walking right up to one of the robots, blowing a kiss to it, and waving farewell to it.
