Appearance Matters: Insights from Co-Design and Evaluation of Social Assistive Robots

Social assistive robots (SARs) are becoming increasingly important in various areas of everyday life because major advances in artificial intelligence and robotics (e.g., cobots) have significantly improved their possibilities. This progress raises a critical question: how should the appearance of a social robot be designed, and what essential design features should it possess?
In this work, we present the participatory design process for a SAR, with an initial focus on its appearance and physical design. We detail the design process, encompassing physical features such as shape, structure, locomotion, facial features, materials, textures, and apparel, as well as the prototyping and evaluation phases. The co-design study involved 62 participants, and we provide an in-depth analysis of the design within the context of an office environment. Additionally, we share and critically discuss key findings from the initial evaluation studies.