Sound as Implicit Influence on Human-Robot Interactions

Abstract

Autonomous robots in the home and on the road are fundamentally changing the way we live and interact. The visual expressions and interactions of these devices are well studied; however, more could be done to learn how sound could be a deliberate (or sometimes accidental) channel of communication from autonomous systems to humans. Combining engineering design, music, acoustics, and psychology, my thesis aims first to identify how sound colors human-robot interactions, and second to design acoustic guidelines that can improve trust of autonomous systems. As case studies, I plan to evaluate real-life interactions at two scales: sidewalk robot-pedestrian interactions and autonomous vehicle-pedestrian interactions---seeing autonomous cars as large robots that we sit inside of. This work will produce a generalizable methodology that refines interfaces between humans and technology.