Modified Roomba Runs Scared When It Detects Stress

A robot is supposed to serve us and not scuttle away whenever we’re in a bad mood, but researchers at the University of Calgary have come up with a modified Roomba that interacts with a commercial headband for gamers, where the latter is able to detect muscle tension in the fast. The more tension it picks up, the further the Roomba will move away from the subject. This is meant to offer some insight into the potential of human-machine interaction on an emotional level. We say this isn’t really a good idea, as you might come home from a bad day at work and need some time to destress – while doing so, why can’t the damned Roomba go about its business and clean the house?