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ROBOTS are poised to enter our homes, schools and hospitals as cleaners, educational aides and medical assistants. So how can designers ensure we make the most of our robotic helpers?

Two new studies suggest robots need to act more like humans, but not look too much like us, if we are to accept them into our lives.

Maja Mataric and Adriana Tapus at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles found that a robotic therapist had more influence if its personality mirrored that of its human patient.

During the three months after a stroke, people whose limbs have been…

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