2018 Volume 30 Issue 6 Pages 832-839
In recent years, robot-assisted therapy is attracting attention which could give healing effects through interaction with robots. Many of robots used for robot-assisted therapy react by voice simply. In this paper, we proposed introducing the idea of synchrony to such robot’s voice. And we verified influence on psychological and physiological stress relief effects by synchronizing the fundamental frequency, which is most synchronized when communication is active, of the robot’s voice with that of the proximate utterance of the user. As a result, we confirmed that psychological and physiological stress relief effects, especially relieving fatigue, improving vigor, and increasing alpha waves, obtained by the voice, which fundamental frequency is synchronized with that of the proximate utterance of the user, are significantly higher. On the other hand, we also confirmed that psychological stress relief effects, especially reducing confusion, obtained by the voice, which fundamental frequency is adjusted randomly independently of that of the proximate utterance of the user, is significantly lower. These results suggest that psychological and physiological stress relief effects can be drawn out by synchronizing the fundamental frequency of the robot’s voice with that of the proximate utterance of the user instead of adjusting blindly.
