Enhancing human-robot interaction in restaurants: The impact of anthropomorphic features on perceived attractiveness

This study explores the impact of anthropomorphic features, specifically humanlike appearance, perceived gender, and voice pitch, on the perceived attractiveness of service robots in restaurant environments. Using between-subjects experimental design, participants were exposed to representations of robot servers with varying levels of human likeness, gender, and voice pitch. Results indicate that voice pitch—specifically low-pitched voice—significantly influences attraction toward service robots, while humanlike appearance and gender of the robots have minimal impact. This study is among the first to examine communicative characteristics like voice pitch in hospitality contexts, integrating it with Interpersonal Attraction Theory to understand attractiveness as a multi-dimensional construct. • This study examines how anthropomorphic features shape perceptions of robot servers. • Voice pitch significantly influences task and social attraction of robot servers. • Lower-pitched voices are preferred to higher-pitched voices. • Degree of human likeness and perceived gender of the robot did not influence interpersonal attraction. • Physical, task, and social attraction positively impact willingness to interact.