That Robot Suits You Well!

AIBI on his necklace

© Bendel

1. Introduction

Social robots are sensorimotor machines that were created to interact with humans or animals (Hegel et al. 2009; Bendel 2021b). They can be defined by five dimensions, namely interaction with living beings, communication with living beings, proximity to living beings, representation of (aspects of) living beings, and – at the center – benefit for living beings (Bendel 2021b). Social robots are often designed to be humanoid (human-like) or animaloid (animal-like) – this is the representation dimension. They are used, for example, in care and therapy, in education, and for entertainment.

Since the 2010s, several social robots have come onto the market that are very small but very powerful (Bendel 2021b, 2025c). One can carry them around – at home, but also at school, university, and work, or simply when going for a walk. This is made easier by the models of the 2020s, which do not necessarily have to be connected to the internet and can be worn on a necklace or attached to clothing. One can speak of the new phenomenon of wearable social robots and classify them as special wearable robots or as special social robots (Bendel 2025c).