News & updates
Theoretical paper in Communication Theory
April 07, 2025
Our theoretical paper, fundamental to the ROBOT-BOND project, has been accepted for publication in Communication Theory!
Elly A. Konijn, Daniel Preciado Vanegas, & Peggy van Minkelen (in press). Theory of Affective Bonding: A Framework to Explain How People May Relate to Social Robots and Artificial Others, Communication Theory, ...
Abstract
As social beings, we humans are driven to connect, and not only to fellow humans. We readily develop emotional connections toward ‘beings’ that are in fact not humans, demonstrated by millennia-old fascinations with fictional characters. More recently observed with technologies capable of socially engaging as artificial others, responding almost as if they were humans themselves. As these technologies advance, digital and robotic entities become more proficient at offering assistance and to satisfy our need to connect and establish meaningful relationships. The current paper reviews and integrates literature from various fields to examine the key concepts and psycho-social mechanisms underlying relationship formation between humans and artificial others, specifically focusing on social robots. The resulting theoretical framework, the Theory of Affective Bonding, seeks to explain how, when and why people would bond to non-human entities or social robots, building on four key propositions. This coherent multi-disciplinary framework may advance the field and guide future research in human-robot communication and relationship formation over time.
New robots!
April 02, 2025
The first new robots for our research have arrived!
Presentations at MediaPsych 2025
April 01, 2025
Three papers from our robot-bond team have been accepted for presentation at the 2025 MediaPsych Conference!
“Human robot bonding” symposium
On Friday, March 21st, the ROBOT-BOND team hosted a symposium on Human-Robot Bonding, in collaboration with the Digital Media and Behavior Lab and the Network Institute of the VU. The event brought together 30 prominent scholars of the human-robot interaction field from universities across the Netherlands and Belgium, including Groningen, Eindhoven, Nijmegen, Utrecht, and Ghent .
Throughout the day, 10 expert speakers shared their latest research, sparking discussions about the nature of human-robot relationships and the evolving role of social robotics. Special focus was given to the impact of recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) on this field.
The symposium provided a unique opportunity to explore the multi-disciplinary aspects of bonding with social robots, setting the stage for future collaborations and breakthroughs in this rapidly advancing area of research. As a direct outcome of the productive discussions during the event, we have launched two new task forces focused on LLMs and measurements, which you can learn more about on the dedicated page (Task Forces)
The symposium programme can be found via the button below.
Workshop at IEEE RO-MAN 2025
March 19, 2025
Our proposal for a workshop on human-robot bonding has been accepted for IEEE RO-MAN 2025! This full-day workshop will be held in combination with three other workshops
Presentation at ICA 2025
A paper by Peggy van Minkelen titled “Investigating Relationship Formation and Common Ground in a Non-scripted Human-Robot Interaction Using a Collaborative Game-based Framework” was accepted for presentation at ICA 2025!
Etmaal
January 17, 2025
On February 3 and 4, 2025, the ROBOT-BOND team attended the Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap (24 hours of Communication Science) in Brugge.
ROBOT-BOND has started!
January 1, 2025
On January 1, 2025, the ROBOT-BOND project officially began. The new team is excited to get started!