Enhanced emotional and motor responses to live versus videotaped Android dynamic facial expressions of females

Human–human interaction studies have shown that live performances of dynamic emotional facial expressions, compared to pre-recorded videos, enhance emotion contagion and spontaneous facial mimicry. While robotic emotional facial expressions can also induce emotion contagion and facial mimicry, the statistical significance of the live presence effect has not been demonstrated. This study utilized a live image relay system to deliver real-time performances of positive (smiling) and negative (frowning) facial expressions by the android Nikola to participants, alongside prerecorded video presentations. Subjective valence and arousal ratings were collected, along with facial electromyography (EMG) from the corrugator supercilii and zygomaticus major muscles. Results indicated that live negative facial expressions elicited lower valence and higher arousal compared to their video counterparts. Facial EMG revealed that live facial expressions induced greater congruent facial muscular activity than pre-recorded videos. These findings suggest that the robotic live presence may enhance affective engagement in socially interactive contexts.