Can Gender-Ambiguous Voices Rethink Inclusivity and Gendering in HRI?

Paper in proceeding, 2026

Robots, virtual agents, and voice assistants are often designed with gendered visual or vocal cues that shape user perception and interaction, and may reinforce gender stereotypes. Voice, in particular, plays a central role in how robots are gendered. Recent work has begun exploring gender-ambiguous voices, voices that blend masculine and feminine characteristics, as a way to challenge binary gender expectations. This research examines how gender-ambiguous voices are perceived in human-robot interaction and whether they can reduce gendering and support more inclusive robot design.