Robots push the right buttons for inquisitive chimps

Whether you’re already planning what your mechanized personal assistant will look like in the future or worrying that machines will inherit the Earth, there is no denying that human beings are fascinated by robots. It seems that some chimpanzees can’t get enough of them, either.

We are naturally inclined to investigate a machine that looks or sounds human, even if we know that it isn’t quite like us in every respect. Chimpanzees, it turns out, may be intrigued by robots, too. In fact, when they are introduced to one, they often socialize with it, offer it toys, and invite it to play, as they might when meeting a human or a fellow chimpanzee.

In a study published in Animal Cognition, a team from the University of Portsmouth and Yerkes National Primate Center gave 16 chimpanzees an interactive robot that could move its head and limbs independently. The robot was developed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. It could give out sounds like chimpanzee laughter from a small speaker in its chest that was covered by a dress. At the beginning of the experiment, the chimps saw a human interacting with the robot and were then allowed to see it for themselves.