Erika Rogers

Final report for the DARPA/NSF interdisciplinary study on human-robot interaction

As part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/National Science Foundation study on human-robot interaction (HRI), over sixty representatives from academia, government, and industry participated in an interdisciplinary workshop, which allowed roboticists to interact with psychologists, sociologists, cognitive scientists, communication experts and human-computer interaction specialists to discuss common interests in the field of HRI, and to establish a dialogue across the disciplines for future collaborations. We include initial work that was done in preparation for the workshop, links to keynote and other presentations, and a summary of the findings, outcomes, and recommendations that were generated by the participants. Findings of the study include-the need for more extensive interdisciplinary interaction, identification of basic taxonomies and research issues, social informatics, establishment of a small number of common application domains, and field experience for members of the HRI community. An overall conclusion of the workshop was expressed as the following-HRI is a cross-disciplinary area, which poses barriers to meaningful research, synthesis, and technology transfer. The vocabularies, experiences, methodologies, and metrics of the communities are sufficiently different that cross-disciplinary research is unlikely to happen without sustained funding and an infrastructure to establish a new HRI community.

Outbreak Agent: intelligent wearable technology for hazardous environments

The topic of this paper is a project to design an intelligent agent which supports humans in the domain of hazardous site investigation. This software agent is integrated into wearable technology which is embedded in the protective clothing worn by the humans. An overview of some of the design issues is presented, with a particular emphasis on the visual problem solving component.

VIA-RAD: a blackboard-based system for diagnostic radiology

The work described in this article presents an approach to the integration of computer-displayed radiological images with cooperative computerized assistance for decision-making. The VIA-RAD system (Visual Interaction Assistant for Radiology) is a blackboard-based architecture, founded on extensive data collection and analysis in the domain of diagnostic radiology, together with cognitive modeling of the interaction between perception and problem-solving. The details of this system are presented in terms of domain knowledge representation and domain knowledge mapping. A small prototype of the system has been implemented and tested with radiology subjects, and the results of this study are also described.

Visual interaction: a link between perception and problem solving

The approach taken in this research is to develop a cognitive model of how a human observer extracts information from a visual display and then uses this perceptual information in a decision-making task. Knowledge about this relationship provides information about the occurrence of perceptual events in the course of problem-solving activities, and suggests that perceptual assistance in the form of image enhancements is a useful supplement to the users own abilities. This knowledge is then to be embedded in an intelligent computerized assistant which is designed to facilitate and simulate the human problem-solving process.<<ETX>>

Participatory action research in learning commons design planning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to document the process the Auraria Library went through to plan research methods to produce information for their learning commons project.Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides an overview and the results of one librarys planning methods using user‐centered and participatory action research (PAR) principles. It includes a literature review and data gathered from several information gathering sessions. It also discusses useful resources and ideologies found outside the field of library science, such as “placemaking” and the concept of “third place.”Findings – Adopting values that honor user‐centered, evidence‐based decision making is a change that must include the whole library, as well as its users. When enough time is spent to include a broad spectrum of feedback you can get a lot of valuable evidence, even during a planning period.Originality/value – The paper could be useful to libraries who are examining their services, environment, and technology. I...

Visual protocol collection for the enhancement of the radiological diagnostic process

The observation phase of a research project that is designed to explore the nature of visual radiological diagnosis is described. The phase is concerned with the collection and analysis of visual protocol data in order to determine the salient image features that may impact on the different stages of the diagnostic process, both perceptual and cognitive. The observational phase includes both a reading room component, whereby the regular activities and behaviours of radiologists were observed on a daily basis, and a transitional component, during which selected subjects were observed performing radiological diagnosis on cases presented both on film and on a computer screen. The results of the transitional component have been tabulated and analyzed according to features, timing, and performance. No significant problems were encountered during the transition from film to CRT.<<ETX>>

Factory automation support technology (FAST): a new paradigm of continuous learning and support using a wearable

A new paradigm of continuous learning and support using a wearable computer is presented. The features of a Wearable Electronic Performance Support System (WEPSS) are contrasted with more traditional training and support approaches. Our goal is to support mobile factory personnel in accomplishing complex technical tasks. Such a system allows workers to ask for advice, receive instruction, access productivity tools, communicate with others, and assess their knowledge on a continuous basis in a mobile environment. We call this concept Factory Automation Support Technology (FAST). Using a wearable computer, workers interact with local and remote learning and support resources as they move throughout a facility. An architecture is described embodying the concepts presented and initial efforts to realize the system are described.

Agent-based expert assistance for visual problem solving

This paper presents a domain-independent architecture for facilitating visual problem solving between robots or softbots and humans. The architecture defines virtual and human agents in terms of their inherent cognitive and perceptual abilities, and their weak and strong knowledge sources. It introduces a third agent, an expert assistant called teleVIA, to mediate the flow of information, facilitate cooperation, filter and cache data, and generate the appropriate visual displays. The agent architecture addresses the technical issues of using an expert assistant to coordinate perception, thought, and action, manage sensing and perception, facilitate diagnosis, and to support the collaboration between people and agents in real-time. A proof-of-concept prototype for teleoperation has been developed based on sensor data scenarios extracted from two different mobile robots. The focus of the paper is on details of the system design, which are presented with examples from the prototype implementation.

Cooperative assistance for remote robot supervision

This paper describes current work on the design of a computer system which provides cooperative assistance for the supervision of remote semi-autonomous robots. It consists of a blackboard-based framework which allows communication between the remote robot, the local human supervisor, and an intelligent mediating system, which aids interactive exception handling when the remote robot requires the assistance of the local operator.

Visual interaction in diagnostic radiology

The concept of visual interaction is introduced as the process which links perception and problem solving such that problem solving is affected by what is seen, and conversely, what is seen and perceived is affected by the current state of the problem-solving process. The development of a cognitively based model of the visual interaction process in diagnostic radiology is described. It is shown how aspects of this model are being incorporated into the design and implementation of an intelligent computer-based radiological assistant. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to extract information about the nature and type of knowledge involved in this process, and then to determine how the knowledge is used to accomplish the task of radiological diagnosis. This work may provide new directions for clinically useful interactive radiological systems. It is also seen as a useful radiological teaching tool, providing hands-on experience with a clinical aid, and further, it may prove to be effective tool for studying the radiological process.<<ETX>>