When We Look at Robots, What Are We Really Seeing?

Understanding the Tools-Versus-Beings Divide in Robot Perception

What makes a robot seem helpful versus creepy? Using our platform Constellations, designed to capture perception through visual interaction, we asked participants in the United States to identify which robots felt trustworthy and which felt unsettling. A clear pattern emerged: industrial robot arms consistently registered as helpful, while humanoid forms in domestic settings triggered discomfort—with one notable exception. A retro-styled humanoid with deliberately non-realistic features broke the pattern, suggesting that the issue isn’t humanoid form itself, but ambiguity about what category of thing we’re looking at.