Human-robot-computer interaction: a new paradigm of research in robotics

Abstract

The paper argues that the analysis and design of interactions among distributed humans, robots and computers can be a new paradigm of research in robotics, by integrating with work on computer science and human-machine interaction. Some fundamental problems in buman-robot-computer interaction are provided, followed by various concrete examples developed in the author's laboratory for understanding and exploring design principles of human-robot-computer interaction. The examples include a hardware architecture of autonomous mobile robots, a robot operating system, a wireless communication system, active interface systems, a robotic groupware, a reactive planner, a task scheduler, and a system for human-robot mixed-initiative interaction. The paper suggests that the design of human-robot-computer interactive systems needs methodologies for system support, interface technology, artificial intelligence and analysis of interaction, and each of the described examples fits well into one of those methodological categories.