Respiration-enhanced Human-Robot Communication

Abstract

In the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), enhancing a robot's impression, affinity, and interaction smoothness is crucial for real-world applications. This study explores the potential of respiratory information in achieving these goals. We develop a robotic system that presents pseudo-respiration and utilizes human respiratory patterns to prevent overlapping speech between humans and robots, aiming to create smoother and more engaging interactions. Our current experiments focus on evaluating the impact of these features on the robotic system's impression and affinity. The primary objective is to assess how integrating respiratory information can improve the quality of HRI and contribute to enhancing interaction dynamics. Through this research, we seek to provide concrete evidence of the benefits of incorporating respiratory information into HRI, offering insights that could inform future developments in robot-human interaction. A preliminary analysis from the ongoing experiments confirms a promising result.