Exploring Interaction Design Considerations for Trustworthy Language-Capable Robotic Wheelchairs in Virtual Reality

PROJECT NUMBER: 46

AUTHOR: Teresa Nguyen, Computer Science | AUTHOR: Nicholas Woodward, Computer Science

MENTOR: Thomas Williams, Computer Science

ABSTRACT

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In previous work, researchers in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) have demonstrated that user trust in robots depends on effective and transparent communication. This may be particularly true for robots used for transportation, due to user reliance on such robots for physical movement and safety. In this paper, we present the design of an experiment examining the importance of proactive communication by robotic wheelchairs, as compared to non-vehicular mobile robots, within a Virtual Reality (VR) environment. Furthermore, we describe the specific advantages — and limitations — of conducting this type of HRI experiment in VR.

VISUAL PRESENTATION

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

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Teresa Nguyen is a senior, majoring in Computer Science with a specialty in Robotics and Intelligent Systems and minoring in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis on Informations Systems and Science. Working in the MIRRORLab under Mines’s Computer Science department, this research focuses on human-robot interaction. Specifically, the focus is in language-capable wheelchairs, and how the timing of robot-generated explanations affect trust.

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Nicholas Woodward is a freshman in computer science studying with the Mines Interactive Robotics Lab (MIRRORLab). This year he has worked on a human-robot interaction study focused on exploring how different types of explanation can foster trust between a human and a robot. He has also been investigating ways to foster empathy with virtual agents as an independent study project under Tom Williams. The findings were presented in a story-driven video-game that implemented modern explorations in artificial intelligence and character design.

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