Hooray for Hollywood ... boosting acceptance.

• Position: Robotics - Robots in film and adult anxiety

Remembering robots from film portrayals may help ease some of the anxiety that older adults have about using a robot, according to researchers at Pennsylvania State University, State College. In a study, older adults who recalled more robots portrayed in films had lower anxiety toward the machines than seniors who remembered fewer robot portrayals, says S. Shyam Sundar, Distinguished Professor of Communications and codirector of the Media Effects Research Laboratory.

"Increasingly, people are talking about smart homes and health care facilities and the roles robots could play to help the aging process," explains Sundar. "Robots could provide everything from simple reminders--when to take pills, for example--to fetching water and food for people with limited mobility."

The most recalled robots included those from "Bicentennial Man," "Forbidden Planet," "I, Robot," "Lost In Space," "Star Wars," "The Terminator," and "Wall-E." The effect seemed to hold even when older adults recalled robots that were not friendly human-like helpers.

"One of the most surprising results in general was the more robot portrayals...