Have you ever had a cat rub its head against you, like it’s saying “I care about you”?
This behavior, called “bunting,” is a cat’s way of showing affection, and it’s known to have a calming effect on people.
Inspired by this, researchers have created a robot that mimics bunting to see if it can help reduce human stress and improve mood.
The study, published in the journal ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction, explored how this robot might work as a stress reliever.
The team designed the robot with a special “neck” that can move in a flexible and realistic way, similar to how a cat moves when it rubs against you.
To make this possible, the robot’s neck features a unique mechanism that adjusts its stiffness using wires, allowing it to mimic a cat’s gentle head motion.
The robot was tested with 22 university students. During the tests, each student experienced 40 seconds of the robot performing a bunting motion.
The researchers set the robot’s neck stiffness to three different modes: low stiffness, high stiffness, and a variable setting that changed stiffness during the motion.
To measure the effects, the participants filled out a temporary mood scale questionnaire before and after interacting with the robot. This questionnaire evaluated their levels of tension and stress.
The results were exciting—participants reported feeling significantly less tension after interacting with the robot compared to how they felt before.
Interestingly, the variable stiffness setting, where the robot adjusted its neck stiffness while moving, showed the most positive effect on reducing tension.
However, the researchers noted that the differences between the three settings weren’t statistically significant. Even so, some participants commented that the variable stiffness made the interaction feel more natural and soothing, hinting at its potential to be the most effective in the future.
This research highlights how robots inspired by animals could play a role in promoting well-being and mental health. A robot like this could one day provide comfort to people in stressful environments or those who feel lonely.
The bunting robot is still in its early stages, but the findings are a step forward in developing technology that not only interacts with humans but also supports their emotional needs. Whether for relaxation or stress relief, these cat-like robots could offer a new way to improve our daily lives—no fur required!
