Neurotic robots are a staple of science fiction. Researchers who study how people react to robot personalities, however, haven’t focused on this much — though one study recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relatable.
Sponsor Message
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Neurotic robots are a staple of science fiction. You’ve got C-3PO from “Star Wars.”
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “STAR WARS: EPISODE IV – A NEW HOPE”)
ANTHONY DANIELS: (As C-3PO) What are we going to do? We’ll be sent to the spice mines of Kessel or smashed into who knows what.
SHAPIRO: There’s Marvin the Paranoid