Cute Robots & Human Connection: How AI is Designing for Empathy
A food delivery robot, nicknamed “Coco” by online fans, became an unlikely symbol of resilience last week as it battled through flooded streets in West Hollywood, California. Videos of the small, wheeled robot attempting to navigate the high water and debris circulated widely on social media, prompting an outpouring of sympathy and support.
“She’s doing her best, you guys,” one Instagram user said in a video showing the robot struggling to ascend a flooded curb. The incident highlights a growing phenomenon: as robots become more commonplace in public spaces, people are increasingly ascribing human-like qualities to them, reacting with empathy and even affection.
Tech companies are deliberately designing robots to be more appealing to humans, often incorporating features that evoke positive emotional responses. “If you were a robot developer or designer, you would certainly not want your product to be threatening. You would want people to perceive comfortable,” said Ellie Sanoubari, a robot designer and postdoctoral researcher focusing on human-robot interaction.
This shift in design reflects a broader change in the role of robots. Historically confined to industrial settings requiring specialized expertise, robots are now entering everyday life, necessitating a focus on human acceptance. DoorDash, the largest food delivery service in the U.S., launched its delivery robot, “Dot,” in the fall of 2025, specifically with this in mind. Dot is designed with rounded features and large, circular “eyes” that craft eye contact with pedestrians, signaling when it intends to move. It also emits sounds to announce its presence.
“As humans, we are social animals. We have dogs, we have cats, we have all kinds of pets,” said Ashu Rege, DoorDash’s vice president of autonomy. “And Dot and robots like Dot want to be part of that family, so to speak. I reckon they absolutely have some kind of character or persona.” The company chose rounded shapes over angular designs based on studies showing human preference for softer forms.
Other companies are also exploring ways to imbue robots with personality. Interaction Labs, a California startup, enlisted Oscar-nominated “Toy Story” writer Alec Sokolow to design “Ongo,” an interactive desk lamp. Ongo, resembling a wide-eyed robot, speaks in a cartoonish voice and moves like a character from a Pixar film. Sokolow described the goal as creating something “somewhere between a pet and a concierge.”
Sunday Robotics is taking a similar approach with “Memo,” a household robot designed to perform tasks like loading dishwashers and folding laundry. The company intentionally designed Memo to resemble Baymax, the personal companion robot from Disney’s “Big Hero 6,” aiming for a friendly, non-threatening appearance. Fabian Fernandez-Han, Sunday Robotics’ marketing lead, explained the company sought a balance between robustness and cuteness, avoiding the “uncanny valley” effect that can occur when robots become too realistic.
However, Sanoubari cautioned that the emotional connection people are forming with robots could carry risks, mirroring concerns surrounding emotional dependency on chatbots. She emphasized the require for transparency about the machine nature of the technology, particularly when interacting with vulnerable populations like children or the elderly. She also noted a tendency for people to personalize even simple robots, citing examples of individuals naming and decorating their Roomba vacuum cleaners.
Brian Comiskey, the Consumer Technology Association’s senior director of innovation and trends, observed that developers are striving to balance a robot’s functionality with its aesthetic appeal. “By designing them with these cute, softer features, and even especially having eyes, a face and gestures that are similar to humans,” Comiskey said, “it allows humans…to immediately start to attach to them a lot more quickly.” The CTA reported over 600 robotics exhibitors at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, including Tombot’s robotic Labrador retriever designed as an emotional support animal.
As AI software continues to advance, Comiskey believes the next decade will be defined by “physical AI” – the development of robots capable of translating that intelligence into tangible actions. Beta testing for Sunday Robotics’ Memo is scheduled to commence later this year.