Responsive Social Positioning Behaviors for Semi-Autonomous Telepresence Robots

Social interaction with a mobile robot requires the establishment of appropriate social positioning behaviors. Previous work has focused mostly on general and static rules that can be applied to robotics, such as proxemics. How can we deal effectively and efficiently with the dynamic positioning common in social interactions, such as the leaning behaviors we observed in conversations between elderly with hearing problems? We propose to refine the existing approach by having a robot continuously adapt its positioning behavior based on the reactions people give to its earlier actions - i.e. by making the robot responsive to feedback cues. To implement such a responsive system, we will have to develop systems for the detection of these feedback cues, as well as strategies to adapt the robot's behavior based on them

Robot response behaviors to accommodate hearing problems

One requirement that arises for a social (semi-autonomous telepresence) robot aimed at conversations with the elderly, is to accommodate hearing problems. In this paper we compare two approaches to this requirement; (1) moving closer, mimicking the leaning behavior commonly observed in elderly with hearing problems, (2) turning up the volume, which is a more mechanical solution. Our findings with elderly participants show that they preferred the turning up of the volume, since they rated it significantly higher

Dynamics of social positioning patterns in group-robot interactions

When a mobile robot interacts with a group of people, it has to consider its position and orientation. We introduce a novel study aimed at generating hypotheses on suitable behavior for such social positioning, explicitly focusing on interaction with small groups of users and allowing for the temporal and social dynamics inherent in most interactions. In particular, the interactions we look at are approach, converse and retreat. In this study, groups of three participants and a telepresence robot (controlled remotely by a fourth participant) solved a task together while we collected quantitative and qualitative data, including tracking of positioning/orientation and ratings of the behaviors used. In the data we observed a variety of patterns that can be extrapolated to hypotheses using inductive reasoning. One such pattern/hypothesis is that a (telepresence) robot could pass through a group when retreating, without this affecting how comfortable that retreat is for the group members. Another is that a group will rate the position/orientation of a (telepresence) robot as more comfortable when it is aimed more at the center of that group

Responsive social positioning behaviour:for semi-autonomous telepresence robots

What if a social robot could detect, from your body language, how you would like it to behave differently? We investigate how a social robot can find appropriate behaviour through the interaction, by reactively adapting its behaviours to social feedback cues. Or, in other words, by being responsive. We focus our work on social positioning behaviours, a starting point for social interaction with any mobile robot, as they are particularly relevant to the Teresa project which forms the main context for this thesis. In the Teresa project, we worked on a mobile videoconferencing system, a telepresence robot, through which elderly can participate in joint social activities if they can not be present in person – for example, because of a contagious sickness, or because they just feel too tired. Preliminary studies have shown that manually controlling a telepresence robot distracts users from the social interactions the system is supposed to support. For that reason, within the Teresa project, we developed autonomous social positioning behaviours for the robot. As inappropriate behaviours by the robot might reflect badly on the person it represents, within this context it is especially important that those autonomous behaviours are appropriate. Previous work has investigated and established various norms for social positioning that can be applied to robotics, such as proxemics. But when we look at social positioning behaviours in context, we observe various dynamics that would be hard to capture in such norms – such as people with hearing problems who, during some conversations, actively lean towards their conversation partners, to the point of getting what would otherwise be seen as intimately close. In addition, many of the established norms depend on factors that are hard to reliably detect in practice, such as hearing problems, gender, and cultural background. We pose that using responsiveness would allow a robot to find appropriate behaviours, even in these cases. This work is a step towards further developing responsive positioning behaviour for social robots. Starting from the related work and various observations, with elderly and telepresence robots, we develop the idea of responsiveness. We then work out this idea into a formal model. From the model, we further investigate the detection of social feedback cues and possible adaptation strategies. Together, these form the first steps in the realisation of robot responsiveness – and perhaps, one day, these first steps will result in a small step back, taken by a robot that noticed it was too close for your liking and adapted its position accordingly

Detecting Emerging Challenges in Social Sidewalk Navigation

When mobile urban robots will share the sidewalk with people, the resulting interactions can cause unexpected undesirable outcomes to emerge – from people running away scared to people deliberately teasing and harassing such systems. How can we design such AI systems to aptly handle the unexpected? Directly anticipating and/or detecting these kinds of situations will inherently be unreliable; they are unexpected, after all. And yet, there exists a very clear signal for social slip-ups: the emotional response of people. We thus argue that such systems need to be imbued with a capacity to interpret the socio-emotional reactions to their own behavior

Interacting with Virtual Agents in Shared Space: Single and Joint Effects of Gaze and Proxemics

The Equilibrium Theory put forward by Argyle and Dean, posits that in human-human interactions, gaze and proxemic behaviors work together in establishing and maintaining a particular level of intimacy. This theory has been evaluated and used in Virtual Reality settings where people interact with Virtual Humans. In this study we disentangle the single and joint effects of proxemic and gaze behavior in this setting further, and examine how these behaviors affect the perceived personality of the agents. We simulate a social encounter with Virtual Humans in immersive Virtual Reality. Gaze and proxemic behaviors of the agents are manipulated dynamically while the participants’ gaze and proxemic responses are being measured. As could be expected, participants showed strongest gaze and proxemic responses when agents manipulated both at the same time. However, agents that only manipulated gaze elicited weaker responses compared to agents that only manipulated proxemics. Agents that exhibited more directed gaze and reduced interpersonal distance were attributed higher scores on intimacy related items than agents that exhibited averted gaze and increased interpersonal distance

Detecting Emerging Challenges in Social Sidewalk Navigation

When mobile urban robots will share the sidewalk with people, the resulting interactions can cause unexpected undesirable outcomes to emerge – from people running away scared to people deliberately teasing and harassing such systems. How can we design such AI systems to aptly handle the unexpected? Directly anticipating and/or detecting these kinds of situations will inherently be unreliable; they are unexpected, after all. And yet, there exists a very clear signal for social slip-ups: the emotional response of people. We thus argue that such systems need to be imbued with a capacity to interpret the socio-emotional reactions to their own behavior.Curated by the organizersInternet of Thing

Telepresence Robots in the Wide Wild World

Mobile remote presence systems (MRPs) are the logical next step in telepresence, but what are the ethical, social, legal, and technical implications of such systems going into the wide wild world? We explored these potential issues by immersing ourselves in a range of possible applications by re-purposing commercially available MRPs. This researcher-as-experimental-subject (RAES) approach allowed us to quickly identify many possible issues that could arise from use of the technology. Considering such issues can help further the use of telepresence robots in real-life settings. Furthermore, we suggest that the RAES approach could be helpful in finding interesting issues that might arise when new technologies are introduced to the consumer market

Doplor Sleep: Monitoring Hospital Soundscapes for Better Sleep Hygiene

Good sleep is conducive to the recovery process of hospital patients – and yet, in many wards, sleep duration and quality can often be suboptimal, in part due to modifiable hospital-related sounds and noises. At the neurological ward of the Reinier de Graaf hospital in Delft, the Netherlands, we developed and evaluated a prototype information exchange system to raise awareness of specific sounds as disturbing patients’ sleep. The system both classifies different relevant sound events and tracks sleep quality (using a Fitbit device). This information is then visualized for patients and staff to present the influence of the soundscape on patients’ sleep hygiene in a friendly and comprehensive way. We discuss the design process, including a context study and various evaluations of the technology, interface, and created affordances. Our initial findings indicate that visualizing hospital soundscapes may, indeed, support both patients and staff in their efforts towards better sleep hygiene