Producing an Immersive Experience Using Human-Robot Interaction Stimuli

Abstract

Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is an emerging topic within contemporary science and this topic spans the literatures between engineering, psychology, computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics. The study of HRI requires scenarios and other affordances from which to contextualize the HRI to study the factors that shape human attitudes, behaviors, and biases as they relate to robots. The current paper details the rationale, software/hardware, and contextual considerations associated with the creation of HRI stimuli used in experiments, specifically the creation of a set of video stimuli. These stimuli centered on the concept of an autonomous security robot (ASR) and provided a scenario wherein humans (research confederates) would interact with the ASR in a realistic scenario. A video was created to foster a realistic visual and auditory representation of the HRI encounter from a dynamic perspective – meaning shifting perspectives between a first-person experiential vantage point to a birds-eye-view of the broader situation. The scenario used involved a security context where the confederates sought access to a secure facility. The ASR’s role was to examine visitor access credentials and determine if the visitor was authorized or not. The robot’s behaviors, while scripted, were depicted as autonomous in the video and included verbal interactions/instructions as well as physical limb motions, gestures, and instructions. Several important features of the stimuli were considered in its creation, namely: realism, immersive experience, and simulated vulnerability of the human to the robot. The current paper walks through each of these considerations with details provided in our approach. To date, the HRI stimuli have been used in multiple experiments and have demonstrated flexibility in addressing multiple research questions in the domain of HRI.