Annika Peters

Analysis of human-robot spatial behaviour applying a qualitative trajectory calculus

The analysis and understanding of human-robot joint spatial behaviour (JSB) - such as guiding, approaching, departing, or coordinating movements in narrow spaces - and its communicative and dynamic aspects are key requirements on the road towards more intuitive interaction, safe encounter, and appealing living with mobile robots. This endeavours demand for appropriate models and methodologies to represent JSB and facilitate its analysis. In this paper, we adopt a qualitative trajectory calculus (QTC) as a formal foundation for the analysis and representation of such spatial behaviour of a human and a robot based on a compact encoding of the relative trajectories of two interacting agents in a sequential model. We present this QTC together with a distance measure and a probabilistic behaviour model and outline its usage in an actual JSB study. We argue that the proposed QTC coding scheme and derived methodologies for analysis and modelling are flexible and extensible to be adapted for a variety of other scenarios and studies.

Towards a typology of meaningful signals and cues in social robotics

In this paper, we present a first step towards a typology of relevant signals and cues in human-robot interaction (HRI). In human as well as in animal communication systems, signals and cues play an important role for senders and receivers of such signs. In our typology, we systematically distinguish between a robots signals and cues which are either designed to be human-like or artificial to create meaningful information. Subsequently, developers and designers should be aware of which signs affect a users judgements on social robots. For this reason, we first review several signals and cues that have already been successfully used in HRI with regard to our typology. Second, we discuss crucial human-like and artificial cues which have so far not been considered in the design of social robots - although they are highly likely to affect a users judgement of social robots.

Be a robot!: robot navigation patterns in a path crossing scenario

In this paper we address the question how a human would expect a robot to move when a human is crossing its way. In particular we consider the problem that physical capabilities of robots differ from humans. In order to find out how humans expect a robot, with non humanlike capabilities, to move we designed and conducted a study were the participants steer the robot. We identified four motion patterns and our results show that driving straight towards the goal and stopping when a human might collide with the robot is the favored motion pattern.