Robots are entering everyday life in increasingly diverse forms, from mobile manipulators and humanoids to robotic furniture, objects, and spaces. We study how such embodiments shape user perception during physical collaboration through an exploratory Wizard-of-Oz study (N = 16), comparing object-embodied manipulation (a toolbox with arms, a kitchen bookstand with arms) with generic standalone arms, across mixed-initiative and human-initiative-only styles. Users characterized object embodiments as unified entities with contextual expertise (10 of 16 participants), whereas generic arms were perceived as separate tools. Object embodiments were rated more likable (p = 0.049), and perceived intelligence increased after collaboration only for object embodiments (p < 0.01). Initiative style did not significantly affect fluency, but participants valued assistance that fell into two functional categories cutting across styles, supporting user decisions through guidance and confirmation, and reducing user workload through anticipatory action, secondary assistance, and independent task contributions. These findings suggest that embedding robotic capabilities into task contexts can change how users conceptualize robot collaborators.
Publication
Violet Yinuo Han, Ziru Wei, Aiden Yiliu Li, Chris Wu, Alexandra Ion. 2026. Objects with Arms: How Robot Embodiment Shapes Perception in Physical Collaboration. In Proceedings of the 35th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2026). August 24-28, 2026. Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan..