Improving motor coordination in hri with bio-inspired controllers

Abstract

Gestural communication is an important aspect of HRI in social, assistance and rehabilitation robotics. Indeed, social synchrony is a key component of interpersonal interactions which affects the interaction at a behavioral level, as well as at a social level. It is therefore paramount for the robot to be able to adapt to its interaction partner, at the risk of experiencing an awkward interaction. Bio-inspired controllers endowed with plasticity mechanisms can be employed in order to make these interactions as natural and enjoyable as possible. Integrating adaptive properties can lead to the emergence of motor coordination and hence to social synchrony. A non-negligible aspect of the work consists in studying humans in HRI to understand human behavior better and design better interactions. On the long term, this could be quite useful for improved robot-assisted motor therapy.