Why do some robots feel creepy? We deliberately built one to find out

Getty Images Robots no longer exist only in popular culture or science fiction.

While we might be familiar with the likes of WALL-E , Baymax , the Terminator and Ultron from the big screen, versions of them are increasingly entering everyday life.

If you visit the University of Waikato campus you may even encounter a robot in the wild.

Cruz and Marshmallow are robotic student ambassadors who, as well as giving out snacks and treats, generally delight visitors at community and outreach events.

Cruz the robotic student ambassador at Christmas.

Jessica Turner , CC BY-NC-SA Some people stop to take photos, some wave, often kids will “herd” the robot to see if it can escape.

But others can have quite different responses – they might be wary, suspicious or simply find Cruz and Marshmallow creepy.

Why is it the same robot can inspire a sense of fun in some people but discomfort in others? Why are some robots perceived as creepy and others cute? We wanted to find out, so designed a survey to measure how people reacted to different robots.

This isn’t just about robots, either.

With the rise of artificial intelligence and large language models, chatbots, avatars and human-like technologies are everywhere.

They are routinely being used in schools, hospitals, airports and restaurants.

We need to understand if these contexts are appropriate, fit for purpose and whether people accept, trust or reject these technologies.

More broadly, it’s about how our everyday world will be shaped by these future robot companions (or overlords, depending on who you ask).

This matters because robots increasingly occupy spaces where people cannot simply ignore them.