From characterising three years of HRI to methodology and reporting recommendations

Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) research requires the integration and cooperation of multiple disciplines, technical and social, in order to make progress. In many cases using different motivations, each of these disciplines bring with them different assumptions and methodologies.We assess recent trends in the field of HRI by examining publications in the HRI conference over the past three years (over 100 full papers), and characterise them according to 14 categories.We focus primarily on aspects of methodology. From this, a series of practical rec- ommendations based on rigorous guidelines from other research fields that have not yet become common practice in HRI are proposed. Furthermore, we explore the primary implications of the observed recent trends for the field more generally, in terms of both methodology and research directions.We propose that the interdisciplinary nature of HRI must be maintained, but that a common methodological approach provides a much needed frame of reference to facilitate rigorous future progress

Longitudinal diary data: Six months real-world implementation of affordable companion robots for older people in supported living

Companion robots have potential for improving wellbeing within aged care, however literature focuses on shorter-term studies often using relatively expensive platforms, raising concerns around novelty effects and economic viability. Here, we report ecologically valid diary data from two supported living facilities for older people with dementia or learning difficulties. Both sites implemented Joy for All robot animals and maintained diaries for six months. Entries were analysed using thematic analysis. We found robot use increased over the six months, changing from short, structured sessions to mainly permanent availability. Thus previously reported concerns on novelty were not warranted. Both sites reported positive outcomes including reminiscence, improved communication and potential wellbeing benefits (reduced agitation/anxiety). Incidences of negative responses included devices described as 'creepy.' Devices appeared sufficiently robust for prolonged daily use with multiple users. Overall, we provide insight into real-world implementation of affordable companion robots, and longitudinal development of use

Longitudinal Diary Data: Six Months Real-world Implementation of Affordable Companion Robots for Older People in Supported Living

Companion robots have potential for improving wellbeing within aged care, however literature focuses on shorter-term studies often using relatively expensive platforms, raising concerns around novelty effects and economic viability. Here, we report ecologically valid diary data from two supported living facilities for older people with dementia or learning difficulties. Both sites implemented Joy for All robot animals and maintained diaries for six months. Entries were analysed using thematic analysis. We found robot use increased over the six months, changing from short, structured sessions to mainly permanent availability. Thus previously reported concerns on novelty were not warranted. Both sites reported positive outcomes including reminiscence, improved communication and potential wellbeing benefits (reduced agitation/anxiety). Incidences of negative response included devices described as ‘creepy.’ Devices appeared sufficiently robust for prolonged daily use with multiple users. Overall, we provide insight into real-world implementation of affordable companion robots, and longitudinal development of use

A Systematic Review on Reproducibility in Child-Robot Interaction

Research reproducibility - i.e., rerunning analyses on original data to replicate the results - is paramount for guaranteeing scientific validity. However, reproducibility is often very challenging, especially in research fields where multi-disciplinary teams are involved, such as child-robot interaction (CRI). This paper presents a systematic review of the last three years (2020-2022) of research in CRI under the lens of reproducibility, by analysing the field for transparency in reporting. Across a total of 325 studies, we found deficiencies in reporting demographics (e.g. age of participants), study design and implementation (e.g. length of interactions), and open data (e.g. maintaining an active code repository). From this analysis, we distill a set of guidelines and provide a checklist to systematically report CRI studies to help and guide research to improve reproducibility in CRI and beyond

Child–robot relationship formation: A narrative review of empirical research

This narrative review aimed to elucidate which robot-related characteristics predict relationship formation between typically-developing children and social robots in terms of closeness and trust. Moreover, we wanted to know to what extent relationship formation can be explained by children’s experiential and cognitive states during interaction with a robot. We reviewed 86 journal articles and conference proceedings published between 2000 and 2017. In terms of predictors, robots’ responsiveness and role, as well as strategic and emotional interaction between robot and child, increased closeness between the child and the robot. Findings about whether robot features predict children’s trust in robots were inconsistent. In terms of children’s experiential and cognitive states during interaction with a robot, robot characteristics and interaction styles were associated with two experiential states: engagement and enjoyment/liking. The literature hardly addressed the impact of experiential and cognitive states on closeness and trust. Comparisons of children’s interactions with robots, adults, and objects showed that robots are perceived as neither animate nor inanimate, and that they are entities with whom children will likely form social relationships. Younger children experienced more enjoyment, were less sensitive to a robot’s interaction style, and were more prone to anthropomorphic tendencies and effects than older children. Tailoring a robot’s sex to that of a child mainly appealed to boys

Responsible Human-Robot Interaction with Anthropomorphic Service Robots: State of the Art of an Interdisciplinary Research Challenge

Anthropomorphic service robots are on the rise. The more capable they become and the more regular they are applied in real-world settings, the more critical becomes the responsible design of human-robot interaction (HRI) with special attention to human dignity, transparency, privacy, and robot compliance. In this paper we review the interdisciplinary state of the art relevant for the responsible design of HRI. Furthermore, directions for future research on the responsible design of HRI with anthropomorphic service robots are suggested

Virgil Robot at Racconigi’s Castle: a Design Challenge.

This paper discusses the role of Design Research (DR) as a mediator between robotics and cultural heritage. This issue has been addressed in the project Virgil, a telepresence robot for visiting inaccessible areas of Racconigi Castle in Piedmont, Italy. A project developed applying an iterative design process that combines the traditional activities of design practice, such as product and service design, to a more theoretical and conceptual activities of DR aimed to generate a meaningful solution. Both the museum context and the state of the art of museum robotic applications have been analysed to define the ethical requirements for the development of the service. The analytical phase is followed by the design stage in which a service concept has been defined, through a process of continuous debate and co-design with various stakeholders. The process has led to the prototyping of a dedicated robot tested in the real environment with random visitors

Literature Reviews in HCI: A Review of Reviews

This paper analyses Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) literature reviews to provide a clear conceptual basis for authors, reviewers, and readers. HCI is multidisciplinary and various types of literature reviews exist, from systematic to critical reviews in the style of essays. Yet, there is insufficient consensus of what to expect of literature reviews in HCI. Thus, a shared understanding of literature reviews and clear terminology is needed to plan, evaluate, and use literature reviews, and to further improve review methodology. We analysed 189 literature reviews published at all SIGCHI conferences and ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI) up until August 2022. We report on the main dimensions of variation: (i) contribution types and topics; and (ii) structure and methodologies applied. We identify gaps and trends to inform future meta work in HCI and provide a starting point on how to move towards a more comprehensive terminology system of literature reviews in HCI