How game-play with robots can bring out their human side

University of East Anglia

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Cozmo, a small interactive robot with a vivid, expressive personality!

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The more we interact with robots, the more human we perceive them to become – according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

It may sound like a scene from Blade Runner, but psychologists have been investigating exactly what makes robot interactions feel more human.

A new paper published today reveals that playing games with robots to ‘break the ice’ can help bring out their human side.

The research team say that the implications are significant for the future of robotics.

As robots take on roles from care-giving to customer service, designing interactions that promote social engagement could make them more acceptable to humans.

Lead researcher Dr Natalie Wyer, from UEA’s School of Psychology, said: “Robots and AI are fast becoming fixtures in homes, hospitals, and workplaces.

“We wanted to better understand whether people can interact with robots in the same way as they would with other humans. And whether we could ever come to see them as more than just pieces of metal, computer chips, and wires.”

The research team set up a series of experiments with a box-shaped robot called Cozmo.

More than 100 participants interacted with Cozmo – with half of the study group encouraged to play a social game with it first.

The team found that the participants who had previously played a game with Cozmo went on to consider the robot as more human-like.

By contrast - those who interacted with the robot purely mechanically did not.

Dr Wyer said: “We found that when people interact socially with a robot, they begin to perceive its actions more like they would those of a human.

“One key aspect of this is that whilst people are generally accurate at judging the timing of events, they make systematic errors when those events are triggered by human action. We found that participants made the same types of errors in relation to Cozmo’s actions – but only if they’d first played a game that made Cozmo seem like it was ‘thinking’ independently.

“This suggests that context matters. Even our non-humanoid robot Cozmo could be perceived as more human-like and less like a machine or tool after the participants had played a game with it.

“Our study sheds light on a subtle but powerful factor in human-robot relations - the ability to think of them as capable of independent action. Without that, even the most advanced robots may be seen as little more than machines.”

As robots increasingly enter our shared spaces, this research underscores a key takeaway - if we want to coexist with robots as collaborators, we may need to play with them first.

‘Observed Nonhumanoid Robot Actions Induce Vicarious Agency When Perceived as Social Actors, Not as Objects’ is published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

Cozmo the robot [VIDEO] |1

Cozmo can show emotions like happiness, sadness, frustration, and curiosity! It moves on tank-like treads and has a small articulating lift arm.

Cozmo the robot [VIDEO] |2

Credit

Liv Shipley, University of East Anglia

Journal

Journal of Experimental Psychology

Method of Research

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Observed Nonhumanoid Robot Actions Induce Vicarious Agency When Perceived as Social Actors, Not as Objects

Article Publication Date

4-Jul-2025

Donald Trump orders entry fee, DEI changes at national parks

Eve Chen, USA TODAY
Fri, July 4, 2025 

Visiting America's national parks is about to get more expensive for international tourists, but that's not the only change President Donald Trump ordered that will impact park visitors.

A new executive order calls for charging non-U.S. residents higher fees for park entry and recreation passes, like the yearlong America the Beautiful pass, which grants access to public lands across federal agencies.

"From the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon to the tranquility of the Great Smoky Mountains, America’s national parks have provided generations of American families with unforgettable memories," Trump said in the order issued July 3.

"It is the policy of my Administration to preserve these opportunities for American families in future generations by increasing entry fees for foreign tourists, improving affordability for United States residents, and expanding opportunities to enjoy America’s splendid national treasures," he said.

The order also calls for giving Americans "preferential treatment with respect to any remaining recreational access rules, including permitting or lottery rules."

Any revenue generated by higher fees from foreign tourists will be funneled back into infrastructure improvements and other enhancements across federal recreation sites.

The Grand Canyon National Park welcome sign is seen from a view near Tusayan, Arizona, U.S. June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee

Reservations required: Which national parks require them in 2025

The executive order also revokes a presidential memorandum signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2017 that promoted a range of diversity and inclusion efforts in the management of national parks and other public lands.

It called for improving access for all Americans and "considering recommendations and proposals from diverse populations to protect at-risk historic, cultural, and natural sites."

Diversity and inclusion were also priorities for parks during the Biden administration.

Before leaving office in January, then National Park Service Director Chuck Sams told USA TODAY: "When I took my oath of office on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Secretary (Deb) Haaland said, on behalf of the president of the United States, myself and the American people, I'm charging you with these monuments, memorials and parks, but more importantly, we're charging you to find those stories that are less told or haven't been told yet, and to tell them fiercely.

"So over the last three-plus years, working all across the park system, we've been able to tell stories to ensure that every American sees a reflection of themselves in the parks," he said.

But the latest move comes after Trump on his first day back in office in January ordered an end to government diversity, equity, and inclusion programs established under Biden.

USA TODAY has reached out the Interior Department and National Park Service for comment on the new executive order.

US is the only country facing tourism decline as Trump policies to cost $29 billion in visitor revenue: study

James Liddell
Fri, July 4, 2025 

THE INDEPENDENT

The U.S. is expected to lose tens of billions of dollars in tourist revenue in 2025, according to the WTTC study (Getty Images)

Donald Trump’s policies risks alienating millions of international travelers and could cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars due to a sharp drop in tourism, a damning report says.

Amid the president’s immigration crackdown, travel bans and sweeping global tariffs, the U.S. is expected to be the only one out of 184 countries to see foreign visitor spending fall in 2025, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The study suggests that the U.S. economy is on track to lose $12.5 billion in international spending this year alone – but the actual shortfall might be much greater.

Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics, had originally forecast a nine percent increase in foreign travel earlier this year before revising its estimate to reflect “polarizing Trump Administration policies and rhetoric.”

Based on the research firm’s original projections, the U.S. economy was expected to gain $16.3 billion in revenue, according to an analysis by Forbes. Instead, the total deficit may be as high as $28.8 billion.

“This is a wake-up call for the U.S. government,” Julia Simpson, president and CEO of WTTC, said in a statement in May. “While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the ‘closed’ sign.”

The projected decline is driven by an estimated 20 percent drop in Canadian visitors through 2025, who spent $20.5 billion and made up almost a quarter of foreign tourists who came to the U.S. last year.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s tourism industry is expected to boom with WTTC projections for 2025 indicating a record $281 billion uptick to the country’s GDP.

The potential backward slide comes amid alarming reports of foreign tourists having their travel plans upended, with some even detained by U.S. authorities.

It included Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepère, 18, from Rostock, Germany, who had their hopes of island-hopping Hawaii dashed and were denied entry into the U.S. despite allegedly holding the required Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

Droves of tourists may choose to vacation outside the U.S. amid Trump's inflammatory rhetoric and clampdown on the border (AFP via Getty Images)

Total foreign visitors were down 12 percent year-on-year in March, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. That drop marked one of the steepest declines on record outside of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Western European visitors experienced a 17 percent drop-off, spearheaded by fewer British and German visitors – 14 and 28 percent, respectively.

Americans’ appetite for foreign travel also appears to have been impacted.

U.S. citizens appear more concerned about being detained or harassed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents when they re-enter the U.S.

The Trump administration has repeatedly warned that agents have searched the electronic devices of U.S. citizens at the border.

“All travelers crossing the United States border are subject to CBP inspection,” the CBP’s website reads. “On rare occasions, CBP officers may search a traveler’s mobile phone, computer, camera, or other electronic devices during the inspection process.”

Last week, Los Angeles political consultant Rick Taylor was pulled aside by border agents, separated from his family and placed in a holding room with several Latino travelers for nearly an hour, according to the LA Times.

 

Using lightning to make ammonia out of thin air

New method could transform hydrogen and agricultural industries

University of Sydney

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The plasma column used to kickstart the process for 'green ammonia'

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Credit: PJ Cullen/ Plasmaleap

University of Sydney researchers have harnessed human-made lightning to develop a more efficient method of generating ammonia – one of the world’s most important chemicals. Ammonia is also the main ingredient of fertilisers that account for almost half of all global food production.

The team have successfully developed a more straightforward method to produce ammonia (NH3) in gas form. Previous efforts by other laboratories produced ammonia in a solution (ammonium, NH4+), which requires more energy and processes to transform it into the final gas product.

The current method to generate ammonia, the Haber-Bosch process, comes at great climate cost, leaving a huge carbon footprint. It also needs to happen on a large scale and close to sources of cheap natural gas to make it cost-effective.

The chemical process that fed the world, and the Sydney team looking to revolutionise it

Naturally occurring ammonia (mostly in the form of bird droppings), was once so high in demand it fuelled wars.

The invention of the Haber-Bosch process in the 19th century made human-made ammonia possible and revolutionised modern agriculture and industry. Currently 90 percent of global ammonia production relies on the Haber-Bosch process.

“Industry’s appetite for ammonia is only growing. For the past decade, the global scientific community, including our lab, wants to uncover a more sustainable way to produce ammonia that doesn’t rely on fossil fuels.

“Currently, generating ammonia requires centralised production and long-distance transportation of the product. We need a low-cost, decentralised and scalable ‘green ammonia’,” said lead researcher Professor PJ Cullen from the University of Sydney’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Net Zero Institute. His team has been working on ‘green ammonia’ production for six years.

“In this research we’ve successfully developed a method that allows air to be converted to ammonia in its gaseous form using electricity. A huge step towards our goals.”

The research was published in AngewandteChemie International edition.

Ammonia contains three hydrogen molecules, meaning it can be used as an effective carrier and source of hydrogen as an energy source, even potentially as an effective means of storing and transporting hydrogen. Industry bodies have found they can access the hydrogen by ‘cracking’ ammonia to separate the molecules to use the hydrogen.

Ammonia is also a strong candidate for use as a carbon-free fuel due to its chemical make-up. This has caught the interest of the shipping industry which is responsible for about 3 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions.

Cracking a chemical conundrum

Professor Cullen’s team’s new method to generate ammonia works by harnessing the power of plasma, by electrifying or exciting the air.

But the star is a membrane-based electrolyser, a seemingly non-descript silver box, where the conversion to gaseous ammonia happens.

During the Haber-Bosch process, ammonia (NH3) is made by combining nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2) gases under high temperatures and pressure in the presence of catalyst (a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction).

The plasma-based method Professor Cullen’s team developed uses electricity to excite nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the air. The team then passes these excited molecules to the membrane-based electrolyser to convert the excited molecules to ammonia.

The researchers said this is a more straightforward pathway for ammonia production.

Professor Cullen said the findings signal a new phase in making green ammonia possible. The team is now working on making the method more energy efficient and competitive compared to the Haber-Bosch process.

“This new approach is a two-step process, namely combining plasma and electrolysis. We have already made the plasma component viable in terms of energy efficiency and scalability.

“To create a more complete solution to a sustainable ammonia productive, we need to push the energy efficiency of the electrolyser component,” Professor Cullen said.

 

-ENDS- 

The electrolyser used as part of the new method to make ‘green ammonia’. 

University of Sydney

Journal

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

DOI

10.1002/anie.202508240 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Regulating Multifunctional Oxygen Vacancies for Plasma-Driven Air-to-Ammonia Conversion

COI Statement

Declaration: Professor PJ Cullen and Dr Tianqi Zhang are associated with PlasmaLeap Technologies, a company with commercial interests in plasma-driven ammonia synthesis. PlasmaLeap technology was not used in this study. The other authors declare no competing interests.

Drones reveal extreme coral mortality after bleaching

Griffith University

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The team analysed the before and after state of the coral post bleaching event. This image was captured by drone following bleaching.

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Credit: Karen Joyce

New research has revealed alarming coral mortality rates of 92 per cent after last year’s bleaching event at Lizard Island on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, marking one of the highest coral mortality rates ever documented globally.  

The team assessed the impact of the Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event, declared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in April 2024, which caused extensive bleaching and mortality across the reef system. 

Lead author Dr Vincent Raoult from Griffith University’s School of Environment, and collaborators from Macquarie University, James Cook University, the CSIRO and GeoNadir analysed 20 sections (each measuring 10m x 10m) across the northern and southern reefs of Lizard Island.  

The average bleaching mortality rate reached was 92 per cent, with bleaching affecting an average of 96 per cent of living corals of the surveyed areas.  

“This marks one of the highest coral mortality rates ever documented globally,” Dr Raoult said. 

"Despite lower heat stress at Lizard Island compared with other parts of the Great Barrier Reef, the mortality rate is unprecedented.  

"These results highlight the fragility of coral ecosystems facing increasing stress from climate change, and the possible devastation resulting from the 2024 global bleaching event." 

Professor Jane Williamson from the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University, senior author on the study, said the findings underscored the urgent need for action on climate change. 

The research team used high-resolution drone imagery to map coral bleaching in March 2024, returning in June to assess survival and mortality rates across the same reef areas. 

“Using drone-derived imagery, we followed the amount of bleached and living coral during and after the  bleaching event,” Professor Williamson said.  

“Use of this technology lets us upscale the effects of the bleaching event over larger areas but still at high precision.” 

The team recorded the highest coral bleaching mortality on the Great Barrier Reef, with over 92 per cent of corals experiencing mortality. 

“Our results are concerning for coral resilience, considering the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat events predicted for the near future, with potentially irreversible consequences for reef ecosystems such as those studied in our Great Barrier Reef,” Professor Williamson said. 

The team used DJI Mini 3 Pro and Autel Evo II drones to collect the imagery, verified by in-water observations during June 2024. 

Key findings: 

• Coral mortality exceeded 99 per cent in some areas. 

• No significant difference in mortality rates between northern (North Point Reef) and southern (Palfrey Island Reef) sites was observed. 

• Despite relatively moderate heat stress (6°C weeks) relative to the rest of the Great Barrier Reef, mortality surpassed historical levels documented at Lizard Island. 

• Coral reefs at Lizard Island have experienced repeated disturbances over the past decade, including severe bleaching in 2016 and 2017, cyclones, and Crown-of-Thorns outbreaks.  

• These events have compounded the ecosystem’s vulnerability, despite some signs of recovery in recent years. 

The team responsible for this work are now running additional surveys at Lizard Island to track the recovery, if any, of corals into 2026 as part of an Australian Museum Lizard Island Critical Grant. 

The study ‘Coral bleaching and mass mortality at Lizard Island revealed by drone imagery’ has been published in Coral Reefs.  

Part of this research was funded by the Grea

---

Journal

Coral Reefs

DOI

10.1007/s00338-025-02695-w 

Native habitats hold the key to the much-loved smashed avocado’s future

Curtin University

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Avocado orchards were sampled in the Pemberton-Manjimup region of WA adjacent to either pasture or natural vegetation.

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Credit: Curtin University

The future of smashed avocado might depend on patches of native vegetation preserved alongside farmland, as new Curtin research reveals the hidden role of these habitats in supporting the insects that keep crops - and brunch menus - thriving.

The research, published this week, found that insect communities in avocado orchards adjacent to native remnant vegetation foraged on more than twice as many plant species at times when crop flowering was limited, compared to those in orchards bordered by pasture.

Insects with more diverse food sources are more likely to survive and pollinate crops so this finding offers a potential clue to safeguarding global food security – as almost 10 billion people across the globe will require access to safe and nutritious food by 2050, meaning agricultural productivity will need to increase by 25 to 75 per cent.

Lead author Dr Joshua Kestel, who completed the research as part of his PhD at Curtin, said the research was particularly compelling because it had been traditionally difficult to quantify the diversity of pollen collected by entire insect communities - especially across vast agricultural landscapes.

“Using a novel method pioneered at Curtin University, we applied a cutting-edge biodiversity assessment technique - environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding - to pan traps to identify the diversity of pollen transported by entire insect communities collected during sampling,” Dr Kestel said.

“This approach allowed us to demonstrate that natural vegetation adjacent to orchards may enhance the resilience of insect communities, potentially contributing to greater food security.”

Co-author Associate Professor Paul Nevill, from Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said the research was significant because insects pollinate 75 per cent of all agricultural crops, yet many face extinction.

“In order to meet the food needs of the planet, diverse and healthy insect communities play a critical role in supporting essential ecosystem services such as pollination and the biological control of pests,” Associate Professor Nevill said.

“In Australia alone, an estimated 320,000 insect species exist, yet only 35 per cent have been formally identified - and the plant resources many of them rely on remain largely unknown.

“By using sophisticated eDNA metabarcoding capable of detecting the trace of a single grain of pollen or even the footprint of a bee, we’re helping to close these knowledge gaps and better understand how these insects might contribute to safeguarding global food security.”

The researchers collected more than 2,000 insect specimens and identified more than 250 plant taxa from eDNA, including crops, weeds and native Australian flora.

The team recommended incorporating standardised biodiversity surveys into regular farm monitoring, protecting agroecosystems by recognising the value of natural vegetation and revegetating uncultivated land within orchards.

The full paper, titled ‘Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals complex interactions between natural capital in orchards: Insights into arthropod community dynamics and foraging diversity’ and published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, can be viewed online here.

Joshua Kestel (centre) with field work volunteers William Thomas (right) and Lily Whelehan (left).

Pan traps, coloured bowls filled with soapy water, set up within avocado orchards to capture flying insects and the pollen they carry.

The Curtin research is showing the importance of adjacent native vegetation for providing diverse foraging resources for insects.

Smashed avocado. 

Credit

Curtin University.

Journal

Environmental and Sustainability Indicators

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals complex interactions between natural capital in orchards: Insights into arthropod community dynamics and foraging diversity