The Turkish Ice Cream Robot: Examining Playful Deception in Social Human-Robot Interactions
Hyeonseong Kim, Roy El-Helou, Seungbeen Lee, Sungjoon Choi, Matthew Pan
AI summary
Problem
Robot deception is typically treated as harmful to user trust, yet its potential to enrich everyday social interactions remains underexplored. This paper investigates how bounded, culturally familiar playful deception influences multi-dimensional user experience during physical human-robot handovers.
Approach
The researchers designed a robotic manipulator with a custom end-effector that executes five Turkish ice cream vendor-inspired deceptive trick policies during object handovers, then evaluated its effects through a mixed-design user study with 91 participants.
Key results
- Design and implementation of a robotic system replicating Turkish ice cream vendor trick policies
- Significant increase in user enjoyment, engagement, and perceived competence during deceptive handovers
- Significant decrease in performance trust, moral trust, and perceived safety compared to direct handovers
- Interaction duration modulates the intensity of both positive and negative user experience effects
Why it matters
HRI designers and entertainment robotics developers should consider playful deception as a deliberate engagement tool while carefully managing its inherent trust and safety trade-offs.
Abstract
Playful deception, a common feature in human social interactions, remains underexplored in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). Inspired by the Turkish Ice Cream (TIC) vendor routine, we investigate how bounded, culturally fa- miliar forms of deception influence user trust, enjoyment, engagement, and perceived entertainment value during robotic handovers. We design a robotic manipulator equipped with a custom end-effector and implement five TIC-inspired trick policies that deceptively delay the handover of an ice cream- shaped object. Through a mixed-design user study with 91 participants, we evaluate the effects of playful deception and interaction duration on user experience. Results re- veal that TIC-inspired deception significantly enhances en- joyment and engagement, though reduces perceived safety and trust, suggesting a structured trade-off across the multi- dimensional aspects. Our findings demonstrate that playful deception can be a valuable design strategy for interactive robots in entertainment and engagement-focused contexts, while underscoring the importance of deliberate consideration of its complex trade-offs. Videos and user study snapshots are available on https://hyeonseong-kim98.github.io/ turkish-ice-cream-robot/