Effects of Human Operator Embodiment on Approaching Stranger Behavior

This study investigates how different forms of operator embodiment (avatar robots, telepresence robots, and direct in-person interaction) affect people’s willingness and ability to approach and initiate social interactions with strangers in public spaces. Participants were tasked with distributing information to pedestrians in a shopping mall across the three embodiment conditions. We examined behavioral performance (e.g., frequency of approaches, hesitation time), self-reported anxiety, fear of talking to strangers, and post-interaction reflections. Results showed that participants using robot-mediated embodiment (avatar and telepresence robots) exhibited greater social engagement and reported less hesitation time, lower state anxiety, and reduced fear of talking to strangers compared to the in-person condition. Notably, the avatar robot condition was associated with a greater reduction in fear of talking to strangers than the telepresence condition. Our interview results suggest that the reduction may be attributed to the anonymity provided by the avatar, which decrease self-consciousness and social pressure. Additionally, many participants noted that pedestrians showed heightened interest in the robots, which made initiating interactions easier. Telepresence robots also offered psychological relief by removing the need for physical presence, although some participants were more self-aware due to their visible face and voice. While most participants reported feeling nervous in face-to-face interactions, some appreciated the physical freedom and focused delivery enabled by in-person engagement. These findings suggest that teleoperated robots can mitigate psychological barriers in socially demanding tasks, and that embodiment plays a role in shaping operator experience and social outcomes.