A robot that is helping people deal with negative emotions

Scientists from the University of Tsukuba have developed a robot helping people deal with negative emotions after receiving unpleasant messages.

In addition, the robot expresses empathy towards them. The primary purpose of the OMOY robot is fairly simple: it can read messages from social media to a person. OMOY fits into an individual's hand, and the robot can move its internal weight to demonstrate its sympathy through its "touch."

When OMOY reads an emotionally difficult message to someone, it shows sympathy and urges them not to get upset. The robot helps people cope with negative emotions and then calms them down if they have had an unpleasant online conversation.

Scientists tested OMOY on ninety-four people who received a message that their friend or partner was late for a meeting and would have to wait an hour. OMOY aimed to convey this unpleasant message so they would hear it and not get too upset. And, according to the study results, it was a success!