A Systematic Literature Review of User Experience Evaluation Scales for Human-Robot Collaboration

In the last decade, the field of Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) has received much attention from both research institutions and industries. Robot technologies are in fact deployed in many different areas (e.g., industrial processes, people assistance) to support an effective collaboration between humans and robots. In this transdisciplinary context, User eXperience (UX) has inevitably to be considered to achieve an effective HRC, namely to allow the robots to better respond to the users’ needs and thus improve the interaction quality. The present paper reviews the evaluation scales used in HRC scenarios, focusing on the application context and evaluated aspects. In particular, a systematic review was conducted based on the following questions: (RQ1) which evaluation scales are adopted within the HRI scenario with collaborative tasks?, and (RQ2) how the UX and user satisfaction are assessed?. The records analysis highlighted that the UX aspects are not sufficiently examined in the current HRC design practice, particularly in the industrial field. This is most likely due to a lack of standardized scales. To respond to this recognized need, a set of dimensions to be considered in a new UX evaluation scale were proposed

Implementation of a virtual reality tool, to verify a PLC programming routine of an industrial process

La realidad virtual se ha convertido en una herramienta utilizada en diversas industrias por su facilidad para simular espacios e interactuar con objetos sin los riesgos y limitaciones que tiene el mundo real. En plantas de producción se puede manejar maquinaria automatizada que involucra la programación de un PLC y la interacción de un operario. Al momento de querer realizar cambios en las líneas de producción se requiere de modificaciones en la programación de las maquinas que componen la linea, implicando pruebas previas a su implementación fisica. En estos ambientes, el realizar este tipo de modificaciones conlleva riesgos y tiempos que se traducen en costos que podrían ser previstos o disminuidos mediante una simulación previa de las actividades a realizar y que no tienen en cuenta la interacción hombre-maquina entre los operarios y los equipos. Asi mismo, la programación de PLC´s de manera remota implica limitaciones hacia la retroalimentación que el programador tiene sobre el funcionamiento de las maquinas automatizadas y sobre el programa. Por lo tanto, se ha propuesto la implementación de una herramienta para simular equipos industriales en un espacio de líneas de producción donde el usuario puede interactuar con equipos automatizados conectados a PLC´s mediante el uso de dispositivos de realidad virtual de naturaleza inmersiva. Dentro de los resultados de la simulación se espera que el usuario pueda interactuar con el espacio virtual, modificar la programación de un PLC recreado virtualmente para ciertos equipos industriales, para así entender y capacitarse sobre herramientas de ingeniería. De acuerdo al impacto que genere la simulación, este proyecto espera tener alcances en áreas de capacitación de personal, en la enseñanza de manera práctica y la visualización e interacción con espacios industriales simulados.Virtual reality has become a tool used in several industries for its ease in simulating spaces and interacting with objects without the risks and limitations of the real world. In production plants, automated machinery can be managed in a way that the programming of a PLC and the interaction of an operator are involved. When wanting to make changes in the lines of production it is required to make modifications in the programming of the machines that compose the line, implying tests prior to their physical implementation. In these environments, making this type of modification implies risks and time which translates into costs that could be anticipated or diminished by means of a previous simulation of the activities to be carried out and that do not consider the man-machine interaction between the operators and the equipment. Likewise, the remote programming of PLC´s implies limitations towards the feedback that the programmer gets about the operation of the automated machines and about the program. Therefore, it is proposed the implementation of a tool to simulate industrial equipment in a production line environment where the user can interact with automated equipment connected to PLC´s by using immersive nature virtual reality devices. Within the results of the simulation the user can interact with the virtual space, modify the programming of a virtually recreated PLC for certain industrial equipment, so that it can understand and be trained on engineering tools. According to the impact generated by the simulation, this project hopes to have a reach in areas of personnel training, the teaching in a practical way and visualization and interaction with simulated industrial spaces.Ingeniero (a) IndustrialPregrad

Use of Virtual Reality for the Evaluation of Human-Robot Interaction Systems in Complex Scenarios

Human-robot interaction has gained a lot of attention in recent years, since the use of robots can complement and improve human capabilities. To make such interaction smooth, proper interaction approaches are needed. Customarily these are tested in simplified scenarios and tame laboratory environment, since reproducing complex real use cases is often difficult. Achieved results are then not representative of actual interaction in reality and do not scale to complex scenarios. To overcome this issue, in this paper we consider the use of virtual reality as an alternative tool to assess HRI in those scenarios that are difficult to reproduce in reality. To this end, we compare the interaction experience for the same task, which is carried out in both virtual reality and real environment. To assess user's interaction in the two scenarios, we consider quantitative task related metrics, mental workload sustained, and subjective reporting. Results show that virtual reality allows to reproduce a faithful interaction experience and, thus, can be used to reliably validate human-robot interaction approaches in complex scenarios

A psychology and game theory approach to human–robot cooperation

Social robots have great practical potentials to be applied to, for example, education, autism therapy, and commercial settings. However, currently, few commercially available social robots meet our expectations of ‘social agents’ due to their limited social skills and the abilities to maintain smooth and sophisticated rea-life social interactions. Psychological and human-centred perspectives are therefore crucial to be incorporated in for better understanding and development of social robots that can be deployed as assistants and companions to enhance human life quality. In this thesis, I present a research approach that draws together psychological literature, Open Science initiatives, and game theory paradigms, aiming to systemically and structurally investigate the cooperative and social aspects of human–robot interactions. In Chapter 1, the three components of this research approach are illustrated, with the main focus on their relevance and value in more rigorously researching human–robot interactions. Chapter 2 to 4 describe the three empirical studies that I adopted this research approach to examine the roles of contextual factors, personal factors, and robotic factors in human–robot interactions. Specifically, findings in Chapter 2 revealed that people’s cooperative decisions in prisoner’s dilemma games played with the embodied Cozmo robot were not influenced by the incentive structures of the games, contrary to the evidence from interpersonal prisoner’s dilemma games, but their decisions demonstrated a reciprocal (tit-for-tat) pattern in response to the robot opponent. In Chapter 3, we verified that this Cozmo robotic platform can displays highly recognisable emotional expressions to people, and people’s affective empathic might be counterintuitively associated with the emotion contagion effects of Cozmo’s emotional displays. Chapter 4 presents a study that examined the effects of Cozmo’s negative emotional displays on shaping people’s cooperative tendencies in prisoner’s dilemma games. We did not find evidence supporting an interaction between the effects of the robots’ emotions and people’s cooperative predispositions, which was inconsistent with our predictions informed by psychological emotion theories. However, exploratory analyses suggested that people who correctly recognised the Cozmo robots’ sad and angry expressions were less cooperative to the robots in games. Throughout the two studies on prisoner’s dilemma games played with the embodied Cozmo robots, we revealed consistent cooperative tendencies by people that cooperative willingness was the highest at the start of games and gradually decreased as more game rounds were played. In Chapter 5, I summarised the current findings and identified some limitations of these studies. Also, I outlined the future directions in relation to these topics, including further investigations into the generalisability of different robotic platforms and incorporating neurocognitive and qualitative methods for in-depth understanding of mechanisms supporting people’s cooperative willingness towards social robots. Social interactions with robots are highly dynamic and complex, which have brought about some unique challenges to robotic designers and researchers in the relevant fields. The thesis provides a point of departure for understanding cooperative willingness towards small-size social robots at a behavioural level. The research approach and empirical findings presented in the thesis could help enhance reproducibility in human–robot interaction research and more importantly, have practical implications of real-life human–robot cooperation