  This paper addresses the question of how to increase the acceptability of a
robot hug and whether such a hug contributes to well-being. It combines the
lead author's own research with pioneering research by Alexis E. Block and
Katherine J. Kuchenbecker. First, the basics of this area are laid out with
particular attention to the work of the two scientists. The authors then
present HUGGIE Project I, which largely consisted of an online survey with
nearly 300 participants, followed by HUGGIE Project II, which involved building
a hugging robot and testing it on 136 people. At the end, the results are
linked to current research by Block and Kuchenbecker, who have equipped their
hugging robot with artificial intelligence to better respond to the needs of
subjects.
