Coordination mechanism for integrated design of Human-Robot Interaction scenarios

Abstract

Abstract The ultimate long-term goal in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is to design robots that can act as a natural extension to humans. This requires the design of robot control architectures to provide structure for the integration of the necessary components into HRI. This paper describes how HBBA, a Hybrid Behavior-Based Architecture, can be used as a unifying framework for integrated design of HRI scenarios. More specifically, we focus here on HBBA’s generic coordination mechanism of behavior-producing modules, which allows to address a wide range or cognitive capabilities ranging from assisted teleoperation to selective attention and episodic memory. Using IRL-1, a humanoid robot equipped with compliant actuators for motion and manipulation, proximity sensors, cameras and a microphone array, three interaction scenarios are implemented: multi-modal teleoperation with physical guidance interaction, fetching-and delivering and tour-guiding.