United States

In this work, we propose and evaluate a modular system for
robust and natural speech interaction in challenging acoustical
environments. The system has been integrated and tested in
a realistic HRC scenario in which the acoustic interaction
and efficiency have been evaluated. The developed framework
focuses on decreasing the requirements in terms of signal-tonoise
ratio, providing a methodology to evaluate the naturalness
of the interaction and improvements in efficiency.

IEEE RO-MAN 2021

A Task Allocation Approach for Human-Robot Collaboration in Product Defects Inspection scenarios

human-robot collaboration

human-robot interaction

speech recognition

RO-MAN 2021's theme is trustworthiness and cooperation. We chose this term well before the pandemic put the world on edge and added a new reason for us to question our own personal safety when in the company of others. But what about in the company of social robots? What would cause us to trust, or not trust, them? How do we as researchers create that feeling, that critical component of any relationship? With social robots, it is of course largely in our power to design the physical form, the control code and the interface software to maximize trustworthiness, facilitate cooperation and enhance the quality of human-robot interaction. This theme also touches upon people's expectations and perceptions of robots, as well as other social, cognitive and cultural factors that will influence human-robot interactions. We will have a special session/track on this topic, invite targeted submissions and include plenary speakers who are specialist in this area. We sincerely hope that this focus will help enlighten the design-thinking of all of us as we fabricate and program our own various systems.

To access RO-MAN Virtual 2021, [please register here.](https://ro-man2021.org/registration/)

RO-MAN 2021's theme is trustworthiness and cooperation. We chose this term well before the pandemic put the world on edge and added a new reason for us to question our own personal safety when in the company of others. But what about in the company of social robots? What would cause us to trust, or not trust, them? How do we as researchers create that feeling, that critical component of any relationship? With social robots, it is of course largely in our power to design the physical form, the control code and the interface software to maximize trustworthiness, facilitate cooperation and enhance the quality of human-robot interaction. 

technical paper

As people interact with robots in social contexts, an important research question is the extent to which individuals will feel comfortable disclosing personal information to robots as a function of robot appearance. Using an online questionnaire, 110 participants indicated a strong preference to disclose personal information to a human counselor regardless of the type of information but that they would also disclose more to a friendly appearing robot and female android, than to a robot judged to lack affect.

Self-Disclosure of Personal Information, Robot Appearance, and Robot Trustworthiness

Many people are forced to eat alone recently. We think robots can be good meal partners and investigate who are more likely to accept robots as eating partners and compare eating with a single robot to eating with multiple robots. The results indicated people who had high frequency of solitary eating had more fun eating with two robots than with one, and vast experience with robots and low frequency of solitary eating related to positive impressions of meal partner robots.

A Survey of Robotics and Emotion: Classifications and Models of Emotional Interaction

In this qualitative study, we address the question of how introducing interaction skills and intelligence to cobots may inhibit or encourage users to use them in their work context. The interviews, performed with 15 individuals working in laboratory settings, gave rise to numerous themes relevant to the design of user-empowering cobot interfaces for individuals with varying technology literacy levels: As “programming may not be for a normal person”, talking to a robot may not be for another. Incorporating the unique interests, fears, personal and domain experience of the end users can contribute to the design and development of cobot interfaces as diverse as their needs, thus maximizing the likelihood of successful integration
across diverse work environments.

Design of Haptic Gestures for Affective Social Signaling through a Cushion Interface

This work examines the role of embodiment and algorithmic personalization in a one-on-one game for participants with cerebral palsy. We find that participants prefer the robot to a screen-based agent, and that personalizing the actions selected through the interaction leads to a more engaging experience.

A robot instructor for the prevention and treatment of Sarcopenia in the aging population: a pilot study

Recent research is emerging in the field of Social Robotics where robots have the potential to serve as tools to improve human well-being. However, research exploring the expectations and perceptions of prospective users of such robots, and the professionals who currently deliver these interventions, is limited. In this paper, we present qualitative analysis of discussions with prospective users and experienced coaches regarding the design of robot well-being coaches. We invited participants interested in well-being practices to take-part in a Participatory Design (PD) study, consisting of individual interviews and a focus group discussion (N_P = 8). Discussions focused on ideating how a robot could function as a mental well-being coach, based on their experiences with well-being practices. Data triangulation was employed by interviewing three professional coaches as additional sources of information. This resulted in a rich set of data, which we transcribed and analysed using Thematic Analysis (TA). The developed themes regarding robot features, form, behaviours, robot-led well-being practices, and the advantages and disadvantages these could provide, were compiled and are discussed in detail. We present this data together with tabulated quotes from the participants and coaches, to pave the way towards designing robot coaches that can provide supportive interventions to improve the mental health and well-being of their users.

When Positive Perception of the Robot Has No Effect On Learning

The goal of this research is to explore how collaborative robot (cobots) in factories could be used in ways that support pleasurable worker experiences using ”research through design” (RtD) method. We developed three scenarios which would evoke fellowship, inspiration, sense of safety and trust, and sens of superiority in human-robot collaboration. The scenarios were developed based on affectiveness, playfulness and relatedness and we evaluated them with 33 participants in two complementary workshops. Our novel interaction designs lead us to unveil participant's expectations towards cobot's behavior in the factory settings.

Acceptance of a minimal design of a human infant for facilitating affective interaction with older adults: A case study toward interactive doll therapy

Using a table-top roleplaying game, researchers work to identify the ways in which a socially assistive robot should both look, as well as what capabilities it should have for the individual user. Focusing on major depressive disorder, the game takes participants through the day in the life of someone living with depression, and seeks to identify ways in which this personalized robot might aid participants facing depression symptoms.

Tradeoff-Focused Contrastive Explanation for MDP Planning

In this study, we examined whether a robot’s unexpected actions affect individual cognitive performance. We have presented the experiment in which a robot could use unexpected visual or auditory stimuli and one’s reaction time in the Simon task was recorded for the investigation of the influence from the robot. Results have verified the idea that individual differences exist both in the perception of social robot’s expressions and the extent of change in cognitive performance.

The Influence of Robot's Unexpected Behavior on Individual Cognitive Performance

The purpose of this study is to investigate if Expectation Violation Theory can be applied to personal space violation by a robot in human-robot interaction and to examine the effects of personal space violation by robots using Expectation Violation Theory as an analytical framework.

Influence of vertical acceleration for inducing sensation of dropping by lower limb force feedback device

We report on user perceptions of “pheB,” a non-anthropomorphic, bio-inspired, pneumatic-actuated robot surface aiming to help regulate our emotional states when inhabiting confined spaces, such as our homes. A survey (N = 50) tested perceived stress levels before and after performing guided breathing exercises under two conditions: led by the pheB prototype and a 2D vector graphic, as well as preferences for different design features. We learned that perceived stress levels were significantly lower after performing the pheB led exercises. Comments from respondents who did not prefer pheB suggested a possible “Uncanny Valley” effect. The research reported here offers an exemplar for conducting user studies online of novel robot designs, highlights user perceptions of bio-inspired robots in HRI research and considers biophilia and the uncanny valley for non-anthropomorphic robots supporting human-centered design applications.

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