Humans feel empathy for robots: fMRI scans show similar brain function when robots are treated the same as humans
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 - 07:01
in Psychology & Sociology
From the T-101 to Data from Star Trek, humans have been presented with the fictional dilemma of how we empathize with robots. Robots now infiltrate our lives, toys like Furbies or robot vacuum cleaners bring us closer, but how do we really feel about these non-sentient objects on a human level? A recent study by researchers at the University of Duisburg Essen in Germany found that humans have similar brain function when shown images of affection and violence being inflicted on robots and humans.