Kristen Stubbs

Autonomy and Common Ground in Human-Robot Interaction: A Field Study

The use of robots, especially autonomous mobile robots, to support work is expected to increase over the next few decades. However, little empirical research examines how users form mental models of robots, how they collaborate with them, and what factors contribute to the success or failure of human-robot collaboration. A two-year observational study of a collaborative human-robot system suggests that the factors disrupting the creation of common ground for interactive communication change at different levels of robot autonomy. Our observations of users collaborating with the remote robot showed differences in how the users reached common ground with the robot in terms of an accurate, shared understanding of the robots context, planning, and actions - a process called grounding. We focus on how the types and levels of robot autonomy affect grounding. We also examine the challenges a highly autonomous system presents to peoples ability to maintain a shared mental model of the robot

Mobility enhancements to the Scout robot platform

When a distributed robotic system is assigned to perform reconnaissance or surveillance, restrictions inherent to the design of an individual robot limit the systems performance in certain environments. Finding an ideal portable robotic platform capable of deploying and returning information in spatially restrictive areas is not a simple task. The Scout robot, developed at the University of Minnesota, is a viable robotic platform for these types of missions. The small form factor of the Scout allows for deployment, placement, and concealment of a team of robots equipped with a variety of sensory packages. However, the design of the Scout requires a compromise in power, sensor types, locomotion, and size; together these factors prevent an individual Scout from operating ideally in some environments. Several attempts to address these deficiencies have been implemented and are discussed. Among the prototype solutions are actuating wheels, allowing the Scout to increase ground clearance in varying terrains, a grappling hook enabling the Scout to obtain a position of elevated observation, and infrared emitters to facilitate low light operation.

Life in the Atacama: Searching for life with rovers (science overview)

[1] The Life in the Atacama project investigated the regional distribution of life and habitats in the Atacama Desert of Chile. We sought to create biogeologic maps through survey traverses across the desert using a rover carrying biologic and geologic instruments. Elements of our science approach were to: Perform ecological transects from the relatively wet coastal range to the arid core of the desert; use converging evidence from science instruments to reach conclusions about microbial abundance; and develop and test exploration strategies adapted to the search of scattered surface and shallow subsurface microbial oases. Understanding the ability of science teams to detect and characterize microbial life signatures remotely using a rover became central to the project. Traverses were accomplished using an autonomous rover in a method that is technologically relevant to Mars exploration. We present an overview of the results of the 2003, 2004, and 2005 field investigations. They include: The confirmed identification of microbial habitats in daylight by detecting fluorescence signals from chlorophyll and dye probes; the characterization of geology by imaging and spectral measurement; the mapping of life along transects; the characterization of environmental conditions; the development of mapping techniques including homogeneous biological scoring and predictive models of habitat location; the development of exploration strategies adapted to the search for life with an autonomous rover capable of up to 10 km of daily traverse; and the autonomous detection of life by the rover as it interprets observations on-the-fly and decides which targets to pursue with further analysis.

A robot team for surveillance tasks: Design and architecture

Abstract Reduced cost of robotic hardware enables the use of teams of robots instead of a single device. Multi-robot approaches promise faster results and more robust systems as each individual robot becomes dispensable. Given higher numbers of robots, writing dependable control software becomes more complex and thus more expensive. Consequently, a software architecture that is readily applied to new missions becomes essential. In the following, an architecture for distributed control of a team of heterogeneous mobile robots is introduced. Design as well as implementation details are presented. A distinguishing feature of the architecture is its versatility in handling resources. An example application for a surveillance task is discussed.

Kana no senshi (kana warrior): a new interface for learning Japanese characters

This paper presents the design and testing of Kana Warrior, a new interface for basic Japanese character recognition based on a game-style user interface. Kana Warrior is a game designed to help Japanese students learn to read characters quickly. A small pilot study has been conducted with very encouraging results. These results support the idea that game-style interfaces may be of benefit to users outside of the realm of entertainment programs.

Heterogeneous implementation of an adaptive robotic sensing team

When designing a mobile robotic team, an engineer is faced with many design choices. This paper discusses the design of a team consisting of two different models of robots with significantly different sensing and control capabilities intended to accomplish a similar task. Two new robotic platforms, the COTS Scout and the MegaScout are described along with their respective design considerations.

Using a robot proxy to create common ground in exploration tasks

In this paper, we present a user study of a new collaborative communication method between a user and remotely-located robot performing an exploration task. In the studied scenario, our user possesses scientific expertise but not necessarily detailed knowledge of the robots capabilities, resulting in very little common ground between the user and robot. Because the robot is not available during mission planning, we introduce a robot proxy to build common ground with the user. Our robot proxy has the ability to provide feedback to the user about the users plans before the plans are executed. Our study demonstrated that the use of the robot proxy resulted in improved performance and efficiency on an exploration task, more accurate mental models of the robots capabilities, a stronger perception of effectiveness at the task, and stronger feelings of collaboration with the robotic system.

Challenges to grounding in human-robot interaction

We report a study of a human-robot system composed of a science team (located in Pittsburgh), an engineering team (located in Chile), and a robot (located in Chile). We performed ethnographic observations simultaneously at both sites over two weeks as scientists collected data using the robot. Our data reveal problems in establishing and maintaining common ground between the science team and the robot due to missing contextual information about the robot. Our results have implications for the design of systems to support human-robot interaction.

Design of the UMN Multi-Robot System

Robotic reconnaissance and search and rescue are daunting tasks, especially in unknown and dynamic environments. The Scout is a robotic platform that is robust and flexible to operate in adverse and changing situations without revealing itself or disturbing the environment. The Scout can complete these missions by utilizing its small form factor for effective deployment, placement, and concealment while being equipped with a variety of sensors to accommodate different objectives. Unfortunately, the Scout has a limited volume to share among power, locomotion, sensors, and communications. Several novel approaches addressing deficiencies in specific tasks have been implemented in specialized Scouts and will be discussed in this paper. By building a diverse team of specialized Scouts, the team’s strengths outweigh an individual weakness.

Cognitive Evaluation of Human-Robot Systems: A Method for Analyzing Cognitive Change in Human-Robot Systems

To help answer questions about the behavior of participants in human-robot systems, we propose the cognitive evaluation of human-robot systems (CEHRS) method based on our work with the personal exploration rover (PER). The CEHRS method consists of six steps: (1) identify all system participants, (2) collect data from all participant groups, including the systems creators, (3) analyze participant data in light of system-wide goals, (4) answer targeted questions about each participant group to determine the flow of knowledge, information, and influence throughout the system, (5) look for inconsistencies in the knowledge and beliefs of different participant groups, and (6) make recommendations for improvement. We offer this comprehensive, human-centered evaluation method as a starting point for future work in understanding cognitive change in human-robot interactions