Designing Robots with Personality

In recent human-robot interaction research, the definition and operationalization of personality in robots is a subject of increasing attention and ongoing debate. On the one hand, the research implies that the task of designing a robot with a personality (thus mimicking human or animal qualities) could come with challenges. For example, inappropriate social behavior emerging from interpersonal interaction could be reinforced. On the other hand, robots are increasingly applied to address the social needs of users, such as in the case of elder care. In this case, it may be desirable to design robots with personality. To foster responsible robot design, the possible effects of robot personality on users need to be considered. Accordingly, this chapter deals with robot personality in research and design practice by asking and responding to the following questions: Why should a robot have a personality? What type of personality should a robot have and how can it be implemented? How can a robot personality be evaluated? What remains to be explored in robot personality design?