Connectedness – Companionship

Companionship is one of the most tangible ways in which human-robot interaction becomes meaningful in everyday life. Beyond functional support, robots are increasingly considered in roles that involve social presence, emotional engagement, and the reduction of loneliness. This raises an important question in HRI: not only what robots do for people, but how they can be present with them in ways that feel socially and emotionally relevant, especially in contexts where human contact is limited or difficult to maintain.

Robots have the potential to provide valuable companionship for individuals who feel isolated or lonely. A companion robot can engage in conversations, respond to emotional cues, and even provide comfort just through its presence. For example, elderly individuals who live alone might find a robotic companion to be a source of emotional support, helping to alleviate feelings of loneliness. This is particularly relevant in care contexts where social contact may be infrequent, and where maintaining a sense of connection can have a direct impact on wellbeing and daily experience. At the same time, companionship in HRI is not only about substituting human interaction, but about shaping environments in which users feel less socially isolated and more supported in their routines. The literature illustrates both the potential and the complexity of robotic companionship in practice. Participants have reported that a robot's verbal responses can make them feel as if they are "with friends," suggesting that conversational behavior alone can meaningfully influence perceived social presence. In some cases, users even interpret the robot as a "smart friend" who takes their situation into account, highlighting how easily social attribution can emerge in interaction. This raises important design and ethical considerations, particularly for vulnerable populations; socially assistive robots may be introduced for individuals whose ability to interact with others is declining, including those who may struggle to distinguish between living and non-living entities, especially in situations of isolation. From a requirements perspective, companionship is explicitly framed as a core function: the robot should be able to talk and provide companionship. Beyond individual interaction, companionship can also extend into broader social ecosystems, where robots increase social engagement either by directly interacting with older adults or by facilitating contact with other people in their network. More broadly, research suggests that social robots can contribute across multiple dimensions, including emotional and social comfort, and can support longer-term relationships that sustain these benefits over time. Taken together, these findings reflect an ongoing shift in perspective: rather than asking whether robots can be considered social entities in a strict sense, attention is increasingly placed on the patterns and consequences of interaction between humans and robots, and whether these interactions meaningfully contribute to users' social lives.