Development of a Bioinstrumentation System in the Interaction between a Human and a Robot

Abstract

Personal robots, which are expected to become popular in the future, are required to be active in joint work and community life with humans. Such robots must have no bad physical or psychical effect on humans. The psychical effect of a robot on humans has been subjectively measured using questionnaires. However, it has not been objectively measured yet. Human emotion and the consciousness direction can be measured by physiological parameters and body motion, respectively. Therefore, the bioinstrumentation system WB-1 was developed in order to objectively measure the psychical effect of a robot on a human. It can measure physiological parameters such as respiration, heart rate, perspiration and pulse wave, and arm motion. Analyzing human stress in the interaction with a robot from electrocardiogram, the robot could generate a motion for decreasing the stress