Burns, RachaelJeon, MyounghoonPark, Chung Hyuk2018-12-062018-12-062018-02-05http://hdl.handle.net/10919/86240Imitation is a powerful component of communication between people, and it poses an important implication in improving the quality of interaction in the field of human–robot interaction (HRI). This paper discusses a novel framework designed to improve human–robot interaction through robotic imitation of a participant’s gestures. In our experiment, a humanoid robotic agent socializes with and plays games with a participant. For the experimental group, the robot additionally imitates one of the participant’s novel gestures during a play session. We hypothesize that the robot’s use of imitation will increase the participant’s openness towards engaging with the robot. Experimental results from a user study of 12 subjects show that post-imitation, experimental subjects displayed a more positive emotional state, had higher instances of mood contagion towards the robot, and interpreted the robot to have a higher level of autonomy than their control group counterparts did. These results point to an increased participant interest in engagement fueled by personalized imitation during interaction.application/pdfenCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 United Stateshuman–robot interactionsocially assistive roboticsimitationmotion learningArticle - Refereedhttps://doi.org/10.3390/app80202418