Human Robot Collaboration: An Augmented Reality Approach—A Literature Review and Analysis

Abstract

Future space exploration will demand the cultivation of human-robotic systems, however, little attention has been paid to the development of human-robot teams. Current methods for autonomous plan creation are often complex and difficult to use. So a system is needed that enables humans and robotic systems to naturally and effectively collaborate. Effective collaboration takes place when the participants are able to communicate in a natural and effective manner. Grounding, the common understanding between conversational participants, shared spatial referencing and situational awareness, are crucial components of communication and collaboration. This paper briefly reviews the fields of human-robot interaction and Augmented Reality (AR), the overlaying of computer graphics onto the real worldview. The strengths of AR are discussed and how they might be used for more effective human-robot collaboration is described. Then a description of an architecture that we have developed is given that uses AR as a means for real time understanding of the shared spatial scene. This architecture enables grounding and enhances situational awareness, thus laying the necessary groundwork for natural and effective human-robot collaboration.