Abstract

The research on emotional intelligence in social robots is growing. This paper provides a thematic analysis of the studies on robots and emotional intelligence, synthesising and evaluating current knowledge and research topics. In addition, based on the thematic analysis of the studies, it also provides a conceptual framework explaining the emotional intelligence of robots that includes both actors (human and robot) in a human-robot interaction setting. The findings are based on the analysis of 252 studies published until the end of 2022 and indexed in the Scopus database. The results unveiled two main themes (robot design-technical developments and characteristics and human-robot interaction), including sub-themes and topics that emerged in the literature. Finally, the themes and sub-themes were evaluated through a critical discussion to develop a conceptual framework for robots and emotional intelligence.

Introduction

۱٫۱٫ Rationale
A robot is a “programmed actuated mechanism with a degree of autonomy to perform locomotion, manipulation or positioning” [۱]. While robots are widely used in manufacturing [2,3] for producing goods, they find their way into agriculture [4] and the delivery of services [[5], [6], [7]] as well. Social robots help children with autism [8], assist the elderly [9], and redefine the meaning we put in sexual relationships [10].

One of the main directions of robotics research is on human-robot interaction (HRI) [11]. The topic has been researched in the context of industrial robots [12], service robots [13], and social robots [14]. A key component of HRI in the context of social robots are the emotions of humans and the emotional intelligence of both parties in the relationship [11,15] because emotions trigger specific affective, cognitive, and behavioural responses [16]. For example, when humans experience positive emotions in their interactions with robots, they are more likely to use robots and less likely to object to them [17]. Additionally, humans’ perceptions of the emotional skills of robots are positively related to the perceived appropriateness of robot use in service contexts, e.g. museums in galleries, as found by Webster and Ivanov [18].

To elicit respective emotional reactions in humans, robots need to have some degree of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as “the capacity to reason about emotions, and of emotions to enhance thinking. It includes the abilities to accurately perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth” ([۱۹]:۱۹۷). EI has four aspects measured through the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) ([19]:200, [20], [21]:281–۲۸۲).

Conclusion

This paper provided a thematic analysis of the studies on robots and emotional intelligence. The results uncovered two main: (i) robot design-technical developments and characteristics, and (ii) human-robot interaction. The robot design-technical developments and characteristics include sensory aspects (facial expression and voice-related), cognitive aspects and behavioural aspects, visual aspects, and other aspects. The “human-robot interaction” category comprises two main sub-themes, namely settings (health, education, and other settings) and attitudes (perceptions toward robots).