Robot abuse
Researchers in the field of HRI have found that humans sometimes abuse robots when left unsupervised, a surprising discovery. This abusive behaviour is similar to intimidation and bullying, rather than vandalism, and is more common among children due to their tendency to anthropomorphize and develop social skills. Robot abuse poses a problem for the use of robots in public spaces, such as retail stores, as it can disturb business and create a negative experience for visitors. Store managers may be hesitant to use robots in their stores to avoid this problem. Bystanders are unlikely to intervene even though they may feel sympathetic toward the robots. Little experimental research has been conducted on the reasons for robot bullying, but a broader understanding of the phenomenon could lead to the development of strategies to discourage robot abuse and enable the smooth functioning of robots.
Read more for how human abuse robots:
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2696454.2696468
A video of a robot trying to escape from children’s attack:
References
Bartneck, C. et al. (2020) Human-Robot Interaction: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108676649.