Evaluation of elements for generating anthropomorphic IoT devices

Abstract

In this study, we discussed the generation of anthropomorphic sensations of objects using IoT devices and the elements necessary for generating anthropomorphic sensations. An IoT device was installed on an object, and the subject was observed communicating with an IoT avatar. We evaluated the impact of changes in the IoT avatar's voice and emotional and biological expressions through flashing LEDs on the anthropomorphic feeling that subjects receive from objects. Changes in tone of voice may hide the presence of a remote person from the user when operating an IoT avatar, and involuntary physiological phenomena such as breathing, heartbeat, and body temperature may cause the viewer to imagine the existence of life. We created an IoT device that has these two elements as functions and evaluated how the sense of anthropomorphism that subjects receive from the IoT avatar changes under each condition. From the experiment, it was suggested that expressions using LEDs are effective in expressing the emotions of objects.